Extreme Takeover: Holby Edition
by CassidyTVNut
Summary: Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they’re older, it’s their turn.
1. Character Introduction

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

**I know I shouldn't be starting a new fic, but couldn't help myself. Expect a lot of new Holby fics, I had a random inspiration wave that went too far, now have 10 different new fic ideas. Watch this space.**

_I never usually start fics in this way, but there are so many characters, and it's kind of complicated, so I'm going to introduce each character._

Chapter 1: Meet Everyone.

_The Strachans..._

Grace Ellie Georgina Strachan is the eldest daughter of Sam and Connie Strachan. Her parents got back together when Sam returned from America, marrying when Grace was 5 years old. At the moment in time where this story is set, she is 38 years old. Unlike her mother, she didn't wait to have children, she was married to her best friend Christopher Byrne at 21, and soon after gave birth to her daughter, Katie Violet Strachan-Byrne. Her son, Michael James Strachan-Byrne, followed 5 years later. She is now a senior CT consultant, holding down the same position that her mother did for many years.

Mason Elliot Samuel Strachan is the next eldest of the Strachan children at 32 years old. He, like his father, is a playboy, and doesn't seem to want to settle down. He has a son that he hardly sees, called Brady. He is a CT registrar, having to work for his sister is not the greatest, but he is ambitious and wants her job some day.

Adelaide Elise Claudine Strachan is the youngest of the Strachan children at age 30. She has a strong desire to help people, and doesn't have the drive that Grace possesses, or the ambition that Mason has. She found her place in AAU as a registrar, this way she gets to help the people that are in need, she's right near the front line. Her caring and naive nature was always her downfall, she fell in love with a man who took advantage of her, and at 16 ended up pregnant with his child. He left her soon after, but she'll always have her daughter Isla as a reminder of what he did to her. She found true love with her brother in law Harry Byrne, and is 7 months pregnant with his child, a little boy that they'll call Kai.

_The Byrnes..._

Jac and Joseph married one year after his divorce from Faye. They both realised that, when everything went wrong, they always had each other. Eager to start a family as a fresh start for life, they were overjoyed when Jac fell pregnant on their honeymoon.

Christopher Elliot David Byrne was the eldest of the Byrne children, born not very long after his parents honeymoon. At age 35, he is the CEO of Holby General. With the help of his family friends and colleagues, he has made Holby the envy of the world's hospitals, making the wards centres of excellence, at the forefront of technology, earning them worldwide fame and respect from medical officials.

Olivia Jennifer Anne Byrne was the eldest of the twins, born just 14 minutes before her sister Juliet. She is a 34 year old replica of her mother, in almost every way. Even though her mother had warmed a lot, Olivia still remained the harsher of the twins. Her drive and ambition got her into a lot of trouble, but she wouldn't stop until she reached the top. And that's how she became the second senior CT consultant alongside Grace, the two of them making a brilliant power in the hospital. She doesn't intend to have children, and will use her sexuality to get her way, if need be.

Juliet Sophia Marie Byrne was the slightly younger twin. The polar opposite to her sister, Juliet is compassionate and caring, and, like Adelaide, found her way into AAU, as a consultant. Ever the Earth mother, she found herself the mother of 4 children, Charlotte, Liliana, Cameron and Tristan. Her husband was one of her oldest friends.

Harry Joseph James Byrne was the youngest of the Byrne children at age 30. He's a funny, cheeky chappy, with a great sense of humour. Ignoring the family tradition of going into CT surgery, he barged his way into General Surgery, becoming a GS registrar, even though 'Aunt Connie' called it soft. He liked it there, it was a less stressful environment on Keller than it was on Darwin, he could chat up women without his sister in law Grace tormenting him, or his sister Olivia being mean. Currently happily married to Adelaide Strachan, their son Kai is two months away from being born.

_The Cullen's..._

Maddy Young and Linden Cullen, the unlikeliest of couples, but very much in love. They got together after Faye and Linden's relationship headed south. She helped him through the depression he endured once Faye had left him, and he found himself loving her as much as she loved him.

Their oldest child was Finlay George Cullen, who is 33 years of age. Following in his father's footsteps, he became a consultant on AAU alongside his friend Juliet. He had the best of both from his parents, he had the social skills of his mother, combined with the intelligence from his father. This makes him a very likeable boss. More open to love than his father was, he married Cassidy Griffin when he was 25, and they welcomed Matilda and Leo into the world as their marriage continued.

Erin Rosetta Cullen was the youngest Cullen at age 28. Much like her mother used to be, she was a party animal, and enjoyed many a night out with her nurse friends. Because she was so alike to her mother, it made sense that she would take the position her mother used to have many moons ago, Senior House Officer. She flitted around from ward to ward generally, wherever she was needed. At this moment in time, she is in a relationship with her brother in law Jayden Griffin, but he's always travelling, so their relationship is struggling.

_The Griffins..._

Realising that life was too short to skate around each other the way they had been, Ric and Diane ended up marrying in Vegas whilst visiting there for a medical conference.

Their first child was Cassidy Rica Joanne Griffin, who was 36 years old. A brilliant actress, she was able to be harsh at times, and sometimes very sensitive to other people's emotions. But only one person saw through her. And that was her husband Finlay, the father of her children, Matilda and Leo. A GS consultant on Keller, she did her very best to make everyone feel worthwhile, like they were part of a well oiled machine. These acts of kindness earned her respect from everyone.

Taylor Leo Stephen Griffin was the next Griffin child, aged 34, he rose up the ranks very quickly, becoming a CT consultant on Keller alongside his sister. Siblings rivalry spurned them on, always reaching higher. That made them an unstoppable team. But, unfortunately, he was a lot like his father. He had three failed marriages already, and had 5 children, Megan, Rose, Scott, Scarlett and Liam.

Jayden Percival Kumi Griffin was the youngest of the Griffin children at age 28. Like Abra 'Percival' Durant, his namesake, he was slightly bizarre, and like his uncle Kumi, he was passionate about what he felt to be his homeland, Ghana. Fascinated by Africa, he took leave whenever he could, and travelled the world. When he wasn't travelling, he was doing odd jobs around the hospital as a locum, whatever needed doing, he would do. Porter jobs, handyman jobs, the occasional being a doctor. He was a slight maverick, but very loveable and funny.

_And finally, the Valentines..._

Even though Chrissie had miscarried his child and had a baby by another man, Oliver still loved her, and once he thought he had grown up a bit, they got together.

Showing their unity as a family, Oliver adopted little Serena Jade Williams, fathered by Anton, and her name changed to Serena Jade Valentine. He loved her as his own. Serena is now 35, and a senior nurse, transitioning into becoming a matron. It was a job she loved, so busy and chaotic. Like her mother did, she had a lot of problems with getting pregnant, but is currently on maternity leave after giving birth to her first child, a little boy called Asher, fathered by an old friend from school, her long term partner called David.

Max David Valentine was the eldest of the twins born to Oliver and Chrissie, by a meagre 12 minutes at age 31. With the natural charm from his father, he was a hit with the ladies and shared the same intelligent nature and ambition to do well. This led him to become a CT registrar, and under Grace and Olivia, he is learning from the best. Not keen to settle down, but he has his friends, like Mason, who he shares a big Bachelor Pad with.

Callie Patricia Valentine, the youngest twin and the youngest Valentine child. Intelligent like her father, but not as ambitious, she was perfectly happy with her registrar position in general surgery, but, like Max, she was learning from the best. Still young, she hasn't found that person she wants to spend the rest of her life with, but she has her eye on Taylor, even though she knows what he's like with relationships. She thinks she'll be the one to change him.

**That's the end of my character introduction. **

**You can see why I did it now, I hope. It's a very complex story about how all of the characters are intertwined through marriages etc. **

**So, the next chapter will hopefully be posted tomorrow, I hoped you enjoyed this little bit, even though it's a bit tedious. **

**Thanks **** please review to let me know what you thought of the characters, and which one do you think will be your favourite **


	2. AAU

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

**I know I shouldn't be starting a new fic, but couldn't help myself. Expect a lot of new Holby fics, I had a random inspiration wave that went too far, now have 10 different new fic ideas. Watch this space.**

_AAU..._

The doors of AAU thrashed open, a patient being wheeled rapidly, heading directly for the operating theatre.

There to greet them was Finlay, immediately assisting with the transition into theatre.

'What do we have?' he asked.

'25 year old male, stab wounds to the abdomen, pulse is thready and BP about to hit the floor,' replied Erin.

'Right then sis,' replied Finlay, opening the doors to theatre. 'You fancy scrubbing in?'

'You know me too well bro,' she replied with a smile, going to scrub in.

As the monitors beeped steadily for the moment, Finlay and Erin took the opportunity to scrub in and glove up, making them sterile for the procedure.

Then the chorus of beeps to show the decline in the patient, his heart rate plummeting.

'Okay,' said Erin, picking up a scalpel. 'May I?'

'Be my guest,' he said as she made a long incision in the patient's abdomen.

Retracting the wound so it was open, both Erin and Finlay were hit in the eye by spurting blood.

'Argh!' yelled Erin. 'Fin, you got suction? Coz I'm making a guess that this guy needs it.'

'Got it,' he said calmly. 'Dear God, I can't see a thing.'

'Well duh big bro,' she replied sarcastically. 'There's a lot of blood. More suction.'

The machines still beeped erratically.

'We're losing him!' yelled Erin. 'Can I have a 2.0 pro lean please?'

'Yup,' replied her brother, passing her the instrument.

'It looks like the bleed is coming from the kidney. Pretty straightforward really, I'll just put a few stitches in there and with a bit of luck it will hold,' she said with a jolly tone to her voice.

'A bit of luck?' asked Finlay with an amused voice.

'Well I specialise in getting lucky,' replied Erin with a grin. 'Mum taught me.'

'She also taught you how to drink,' stated Finlay.

'Finn,' whinged Erin. 'I like to have a good time, I do not have a drinking problem!'

'Okay, okay, okay,' said Finlay as the patient stabilised. Looking over, he said, 'Well done sis, you've done it.'

'Well, lucky me,' she remarked. 'I will just close up and we will get him into the ICU.'

'Yes we shall,' replied Finlay, handing her the relative instruments.

Once the patient was out of theatre and in the ICU, a breathless Erin and Finlay came out of theatre.

'Next time sis, remember who's the boss, and the older brother,' he said warningly.

'Next time, bro,' she replied. 'Remember who the better surgeon is.'

As they walked through the doors, Finlay said, 'Hey Erin.'

She turned around to face him.

'You might want to open both the doors,' he said with a laugh.

'And why would that be?' she asked coolly.

'Because your head is so big, I don't think it will fit,' he replied.

'You did not just go there!' she replied.

'Bet your life,' he remarked back at her.

Juliet, walking through the other door, said, 'Oh gosh, sibling rivalry again?'

'Indeed,' replied Finlay.

'At least you don't have to work with your siblings,' complained Erin.

'And why do you think I chose AAU?' asked Juliet. 'I'm not stupid. Olivia is all drive, ambition and CT like Mum and Aunt Connie, Harry's only doing GS to be a rebel, and Chris is too busy running this place to work directly with. And I can help people here.'

Huffing, Erin said, 'Well, I doubt that Cassie and Tay have the same problem, or Grace and Mason.'

'Cassie and Tay are on equal footing, and Tay's too busy with divorce number 3, so at the moment, Cassie's running the show. And Grace and Mason have the same problems, because Mason has to deal with his big sister being his boss,' said Juliet, reminding them.

'Right,' said Erin.

'Speaking of Cassie,' said Finlay. 'I'm going to go and ring her to see how she and the kids are doing on her day off.'

'Aww, send my niece and nephew a hug,' said Erin.

'Will do,' he said, leaving the room and finding his office.

In his office, he found Adelaide sitting at his desk on the phone.

'Isla, listen to me, I don't care if the boy is cute or smart or funny, you are 14 years old, so you will not stay out until the early hours to go on a date with him!' she yelled. 'Why am I being so overprotective? Because I met your father when I was 14 and ended up pregnant by him at 15, giving birth to you at 16! Don't be naive Isla, we both know what boys their age want! I will get your nan to talk to you, or one of your aunts, because I cannot deal with you anymore!'

Slamming the phone down, she turned her attention to Finlay.

'Sorry Fin, Isla's going through a boy crazy phase,' said Adelaide apologetically.

'No worries Adi,' he said brightly. 'And if you want anyone to put her into line, I'd say Diane. She can be harsh but fair, and won't encourage Isla like your mother or my mother would.'

'Good point,' she said, leaving the room.

Sighing, he sat down at his desk and picked up the phone, dialling his home number.

'Hey sweetheart,' he replied. 'How's the day off going? Oh dear, Tilly and Leo giving you trouble? Put them on. Matilda Diane Madeline Cullen, and yes I'm using your full name for a reason, you stop annoying your mother with winding up your brother, and Leo Eric Linden Cullen, I don't care if your sister is annoying you, you do not hit her! And neither of you hit back! You understand me? Now go and do whatever 10 and 11 year olds do, without wrecking the house and annoying your mother! Anyway Cassie, I'll have to love you and leave you my dear, my pager's just gone off. Love you. Bye.'


	3. Darwin

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Darwin..._

It was a normal day on Darwin Ward, the beds were full of patients, the junior doctors and the nurses were circling, and the consultants hidden away in their offices, doing paperwork.

Grace and Olivia were in the office that they shared, both trying to work on separate reports.

'Argh!' said Olivia. 'There's too much that Chris wants us to do before his visit/inspection today!'

'He's your brother, try tugging on that string,' suggested Grace calmly.

'If he wasn't my brother, I'd sleep with him to get more time,' said Olivia callously. 'This is going to take forever! You're his wife, can't you make him a little 'happier' and get him to push the deadline back?'

'I could, but then we would get complacent about finishing them, and end up like this again,' said Grace. 'And it's rather alarming how you would sleep with someone to get your way.'

'Haven't had to do it so far,' said Olivia. 'Our little group can pretty much get anywhere they want by dropping the family name.'

'We should try and climb up the career ladder on our own merits,' said Grace. 'Not the merits of our parents, who worked hard.'

'We are working hard!' exclaimed Olivia. 'Besides, Mum used sex to get up a little bit in work.'

'And it didn't work, she split up with your dad and it took him years to forgive her!' said Grace. 'They had true love, and your mum knows that she threw that away in the beginning for ambition. But she softened, and look at her now. Mother, grandmother, loving aunt.'

'She's gone soft,' said Olivia. 'Family matters, of course, but I have my family. My nieces, my nephews, my parents, my siblings an my friends. I don't need rugrats running around, messing up the house I paid my hard earned money for, who will ruin my figure, make me take time off work and have to pay out for a nanny.'

'Oh Liv,' said Grace in despair. 'You really think you have it worked out, don't you? There's more to life than ambition and career.'

Knocking on the door, Mason swung his head around, saying, 'Are you going to take a look at Mr Young?'

'When the paperwork has written itself,' said Olivia grumpily.

'Can't Grace work a little 'magic' to get Chris to put the deadline back?' asked Mason with a wink.

'I am not whoring myself out to my husband for an extended deadline!' exclaimed Grace. 'Got it? Good.'

'Can't Liv whore herself out?' asked Mason.

'He's my brother!' exclaimed Olivia.

'Your point being?' asked Mason. 'I know what you're like. You'd screw your own father to rise up the ranks.'

'Now that's disgusting,' said Grace and Olivia in unison.

'That's how I roll,' he said.

As he finished his sentence, the phone rang.

'Grace Strachan. Oh hi Mum,' said Grace. 'When? Oh Saturday. Okay, I'll let everyone know. Okay, bye, I love you.'

'What's on Saturday?' asked Mason.

'Mum's hosting a family get together for everyone at hers. She's decided that we all haven't been together for ages. So all of the Griffin's, Strachan's, Cullen's, Byrne's and Valentine's will be there,' said Grace.

'Maybe if she and Dad spent some time away from New York, they'd see us more often,' said Mason.

'Keiron's out there Mason,' said Grace. 'Dad doesn't like to go without seeing him and his kids for too long.'

'Whatever,' he said in reply. 'Anyway, I have to go, there's some good looking agency nurses looking my way. Off to flirt.'

As he walked away, Grace and Olivia muttered under their breath, 'Man whore.'

Carrying on working with their individual reports, Grace and Olivia were as content as they could be in that particular situation.

Poking his head around the door just as Mason did, Max said, 'Did I hear family get together?'

Grace and Olivia simply nodded.

'Err, how do I get out of this one?' he asked himself.

'You don't,' said Olivia.

'Ah come on,' pleaded Max. 'I hate those things, rugrats running around, Adi complaining about pregnancy, Asher screaming, embarrassing mum's and dad's, aunts and uncles, Taylor talking about divorce, Olivia, no offence, going on about her career, Chris talking politics, Harry winding up Aunt Connie about GS vs CT, Aunt Maddy's infamous punch, Erin getting drunk, Finn being loved up, Jayden talking about Ghana and Callie eyeing up Taylor. It's always the same!'

'Max, stop complaining,' said Grace. 'And go back to work.'

'Fine, but I have a £50 bet with Mason and Harry that Adi will go into labour there and then,' he said. 'I reckon it won't happen, but Harry's convinced.'

'Fascinating,' said Grace and Olivia in unison, pointing to the door.

'Fine,' said Max sulkily, leaving the room.


	4. Keller

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Keller..._

A typical day on Keller was slightly different than a typical day on Darwin. Darwin was where the action was, emergencies coming and going, exciting operations. Keller could get like that, but majority of the time, it was elective operations and non-emergency procedures. Not that the staff minded, they had enough on their plates as it was.

Taylor was in his office, on the phone.

'She what?' he shrieked. 'There is no way that she is getting that much of a settlement from me! We were married for less than 6 months! Jerry, you're my lawyer for God's sake, tell her we don't have any children, I didn't do anything to bring about the end of our marriage, she got bored and left me! She is not getting any money from me, make that 100% clear!'

Slamming the phone down, he sighed. Callie Valentine entered the room with a file, looking slightly concerned.

'Tay, are you okay?' she asked gently.

'I'm fine,' he said, snapping back at her, then softening. 'Lily's being a bit difficult over the divorce.'

'Ahh,' she said, sitting down. 'Say no more, I will leave that to you. The pressing matter is Mr Lane, he's complaining of worse abdominal pain, have sent him up for a scan, but it's a possible Bowel Obstruction.'

'Okay,' said Taylor in reply. 'Once he's down from his scan, have a look at the films, page me if you need me in theatre.'

'Sure,' she said with a bright smile, standing up and leaving the room.

Sighing once again, Taylor sat back in his chair as his sister Cassidy came into the room.

'You look stressed little brother,' she said. 'Lily being a bitch?'

'Yeah,' he said grumpily.

'Well, I hate to say I told you so, but I did tell you so,' she replied.

'I know,' replied Taylor.

'So, saw little Cal leaving the room with a big smile on her face. What's going on there then?' she quizzed.

'Your powers of subtlety amaze me,' he remarked sarcastically.

'Ah, don't worry Tay, I'm just messing with you,' she replied. 'But you do know that she has the major hots for you?'

'Actually, it went over my head,' he replied, just as sarcastically as before. 'Of course I know! She needs my approval on everything, she's trying to be a shoulder to cry on for my divorce, she's following me around like a love sick puppy. I am having trouble getting across the fact to her that I do not want another girlfriend/wife at this moment in time.'

'Aww, come on Tay,' pleaded Cassie. 'Don't be cruel. She thinks that she'll be the one to change you, the one you marry and stay married to, like Dad did with Mum.'

'The chances of that happening are slim,' argued Taylor. 'Mum and Dad had already had a thing, she understood him and why he always got divorced. Callie will never figure out why I keep getting divorced because I have no clue myself! We may have grown up together, and she may know me, but she can't understand me. Not even I can understand myself.'

'When you're 'ready' for a new girlfriend,' said Cassie. 'Give her a chance. She's pretty, she's smart and she'd do anything for you.'

'Okay,' replied Taylor. 'Just for you.'

'Yeah,' replied Cassie. 'Don't put yourself out or anything.'

'I won't,' he said.

'And call your kids for goodness sakes!' she exclaimed. 'Just because you don't talk to their mothers doesn't mean you can't talk to them. Don't make the same mistakes that Dad did Tay.'

'If it helps, I will call them when I get home and organise a day out,' he said. 'And if that doesn't work, I'll get Mum to organise it. All of the ex wives love her.'

'That's because she makes the effort to see your kids more than you do,' remarked Cassie.

'Be still my beating heart,' replied Taylor sarcastically. 'Where's Harry anyway?'

'You rang?' he replied, leaning around the door.

'Not really, but anyway,' said Taylor. 'How are you doing with Mrs Tilbury?'

'Uhhh, Callie's dealing with her?' asked Harry.

'And why would that be?' asked Taylor harshly.

'I went down to see Adi, she's not feeling well. And with Kai's due date being so close, she's a little nervous,' he said. 'But I'll get up to speed with Mrs Tilbury's notes and take over from Cal.'

'You do that,' replied Taylor.

'Tay,' exclaimed Cassie. 'Don't be so harsh. Tell Adi to get well soon.'

'Will do,' he replied with a salute, making Cassie chuckle.

'Enough cheek Harry,' she replied sternly. 'Back to work.'

'Yes Ma'am,' he replied mockingly, making Cassie laugh again, and Taylor frown.

'He is a liability,' muttered Taylor under his breath.

'Way to go Tay,' replied Cassie. 'He's just a generally happy and cheeky person. And he's excited, he's going to be a father soon. Remember that feeling?'

'I just saw divorce, more paper work and maintenance,' muttered Taylor back.

'You are like a more heartless version of Dad when he was younger, before he was with mum,' stated Cassie.

'How would you know?' asked Taylor.

'Because Dad told me you were heading his way when the first divorce papers came through,' she replied as she left.


	5. Meet Chris and Jayden

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Meet Chris and Jayden..._

He was planted in that chair, and had a desperate desire to move, but he knew that if he arose from his chair and went to get a sneaky coffee, he would be called in for his informal interview with his old family friend, Chris Byrne. Chris would be doing him a massive favour by offering him a job, so being late was not high on his list of priorities.

Wringing his hands and checking his mobile for the time every 5 seconds, he knew for sure that he was nervous, like he always was when he came home from travelling and seeking a job in his old stomping ground.

Ever since he could remember, he'd always loved travelling. In the summer holidays, his parents took him and his older brother and sister to Ghana, indulging him in the delights of his father's heritage and allowing him to bond with the family they may have never known otherwise. Every single day spent in England building up to those 4 weeks, from July to August.

Thinking about it, he felt more at home in Ghana than he did in Holby. His love for travel had allowed him to travel the globe, his gap year fuelling his passion. He'd visited so many countries, but he could always remember every individual one, and memorising the ones he had yet to see.

He was, in so many ways, like his namesakes, his godfather Percival, AKA Abra, himself a maverick doctor who flew from place to place, rooted in Africa and his uncle Kumi, a patriotic and faithful Ghanaian. And he liked it that way, he admired both men for their spirit, Abra's longing to be free, and Kumi's love for his country. He was a evenly spread mixture of the two of them, not as conservative as his brother and sister, the free spirit within the family.

But, alas, his lifestyle came with flaws as well as perks. Although he had the freedom to travel where he wanted and help people as he saw fit, he was always facing monetary trouble. That's what bound him to Holby. Because here, he could work for a few months, and set off again.

His thoughts were broken by Erin waving her hands in front of his face.

'Jay, Jay,' she said gently as he came around.

'Hey babe,' he said with a smile, pulling her onto his lap and kissing her passionately.

'Mmmm,' she said as they broke apart. 'You have no idea how much I've been missing that.'

'Me too babe,' he said, hugging her close.

After a long, comfortable silence, Erin, trying to slip in the subject she had been wanting to broach for a while, said, 'So, you gonna stay for longer?'

Avoiding eye contact, Jayden said, 'You know I'm not going to Erin.'

Getting off his lap and sitting on the opposite side of the corridor, Erin gave him a cold stare and said, 'And why would that be, Jayden?' She made sure that she punctuated her sentence sharply and used his full name to show how serious that she was.

'Ah babe, don't give me the whole name,' he said, reaching out to her.

Ducking until he retreated back to his seat, Erin shot him an evil look. 'Well, answer me!'

'Okay okay okay,' he said, holding his hands up. 'You know me Erin, I don't like to stay in one place for too long.'

'Except Ghana,' replied Erin with a scowl.

'Ghana being the exception,' continued Jayden. 'But I don't like to be tied down, I like having the option to be free, to go wherever I want to go.'

'Well then, maybe you should carry on with your travels single,' said Erin, standing up and leaving.

'Awww come on Erin, don't be like that, why do we have to go through this every time I come back and go away?' he said, getting up to follow her.

Opening the door, Chris said, 'Come on Jay, you better come in.'

He couldn't decide which way to go, to his girlfriend for his relationship or Chris for his job. Looking back at the path that Erin went down, he walked behind Chris into his office and sat down.

'So Jay,' said Chris, sitting at his desk. 'We both know why you've come back, so pitch to me quickly like you usually do and I'll see what we can find.'

'Okay,' said Jayden, leaning back slightly before returning to his normal position. 'I've been doing this project in Ghana, helping to build schools and hospitals in the poorest areas. The charity I'm involved with want me to extend it into Lesotho and work with Sentebale to carry on the project. I want to be able to help them, to put some of my money into such a worthwhile project for such needy people, but I don't have any. And so, I pooled the last of my money to get home. I know that you doubt me, but every time I've come back to work, I've done a good job. And this time, I don't want to visit another country and get wasted, I want to help people.'

'You're in luck,' said Chris. 'Whilst Adi is on maternity leave, which starts tomorrow, there will be a position on AAU as a registrar. Erin is filling in that spot, so we can take you back as an SHO on a temporary basis. So that will be approximately 5 months work. You planning on staying that long?'

'I will do,' said Jayden. 'It's the middle of summer over there now, we won't be able to start work until it cools, which will be a considerable amount of months.'

'Good,' said Chris, standing up and shaking Jayden's hand. 'You start tomorrow.'

As he left, the penny dropped.

'Oh no,' he said to himself. 'I'll have to work with Erin.'

Cursing slightly, he made a quick prayer to whichever deity was listening to protect his genitalia from being harmed by an angry Erin.


	6. Everyone Together

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Everyone together..._

It was Friday night, and everyone was gathered in the bar for a quick drink, and a chat about the big family get together tomorrow.

'I'll get the drinks in,' said Chris.

'Nice one!' yelled Jayden enthusiastically.

'What's everyone having?' asked Chris.

'Can I have a glass of red wine please?' asked Grace.

'Me too please,' said Juliet.

'And me,' said Olivia.

'Me too please Chris,' said Cassidy.

'Oh, and me,' asked Serena.

'Right then,' said Chris. 'A bottle will do then. How about everyone else? Beer for all the men, right?'

'You know us too well,' remarked Taylor.

'Could I have a double vodka and coke?' asked Erin.

'Can I have a vodka and orange?' asked Callie.

'And can I have an apple juice?' asked Adelaide.

'Right, 5 red wines, 7 beers, a vodka and coke, a vodka and orange and an apple juice?' he asked, to receive nods from everyone.

Going to the bar, he bought all of the drinks and got Fin to help bring them over on 2 small trays. Handing them out, he sat down and took a long drag of his beer.

'Right...' he said slowly. 'Saturday evening, at my mother in laws/your mothers/your aunts, whatever. Anyone looking forward to it?'

As some of them nodded their heads, most of the younger children shook their heads viciously.

'Grow up guys,' said Grace. 'We're all friends and family. And I don't know about you, but I want to catch up with my nieces and nephews.'

'You seem awfully keen to go to this thing,' remarked Max.

'Well...' said Grace. 'I haven't seen Mum and Dad for ages, and I miss Liliana, Charlotte, Cameron, Tristan, Isla, Tilly, Leo, Megan, Rose, Scott, Scarlett, Liam and Asher.'

'Ahh,' said Taylor. 'You won't be seeing Megan, Rose, Scarlett, Scott and Liam. Teri hasn't let me see Megan and Rose since they were born, so at age 13 they have to sneak out to see their dad. How pathetic. Liam and Scott I see occasionally, when Georgina's in a good mood. And Paula, she's the most bearable of my ex wives, I see Scarlett more than everyone else.'

'It's sad really,' said Harry.

'Yeah,' said Adelaide, agreeing with her husband. 'To have 5 beautiful children and only be able to see one of them when you want to.'

'I miss having young children around,' said Grace sombrely. 'Katie's 16 now, and even though we have some girly times, she's always out with her friends and her boyfriend, I hardly ever see her. And Michael, well, he is more trouble than his namesake. I'm always scared that he'll turn out to be the lothario that both of the Michael's were.'

'Why name them after such irresponsible role models?' asked Fin.

'Mum's first husband Michael was always kind to me, he sent me Christmas presents every year. And Michael Spence, well, we used to have a laugh together when I used to work here on the weekends,' she said.

'You know what I think? Having children just clouds the mind,' said Olivia.

'It's a blessing,' said Juliet. 'Being a parent is the hardest job in the world. You manage to get through raising them, raising them well, it's the best feeling in the world.'

'How you and I came to be twins I have no idea,' remarked Olivia.

'I'd love to be pregnant again,' said Grace quietly. 'But it's impossible now.'

The whole room went quiet, trying to forget what Grace went through from trying to protect a patient. How that bastard took away her ability to have children.

'We'll find a way sweetheart,' said Chris, squeezing his wife's shoulder.

'Anyway,' said Max, interrupting the silence. 'Guess who just showed up! Serena, David and little Asher are here!'

'Awwww, my little nephew!' exclaimed Callie. 'Technically my only nephew, hint hint Max settle down.'

'I will when you will,' stated Max.

'But I want to. And hope I will soon,' said Callie quietly, looking over to where Taylor was.

Leaning over to Taylor, Cassidy said, 'She definitely has your eye on you there bro.'

'Get in there Griffin!' exclaimed Jayden.

'Grow up Jay,' said Erin, making Jayden grow quiet again.

'Now what the hell happened between the two of you?' demanded Serena.


	7. Chris, Grace and Family’s Visit

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Chris, Grace and Family's Visit..._

Grace, Chris, Katie and Michael arrived at Connie and Sam's the day before the family gathering, just to catch up.

Opening the door, Connie pulled all four of them into a group hug and said, 'Ah, it's been too long. Come inside.'

Coming in and sitting down with them, Connie shouted, 'Sam! Gracie, Chris, Katie and Mike are here!'

'My little girl?' asked Sam, sprinting down the stairs, rather childlike for his 69 years. 'My son in law and my grandchildren? It has been too long.'

'It is remarkable how such an old man can be so energetic, as he was when I first knew him,' said Connie.

'Old?' replied Sam in shock. 'I will remind you my dear that you are 6 years older than me.'

'Mum, Dad, fight fair,' said Grace. 'You're setting a bad example to the kids.'

'We don't mean it kids,' said Connie. 'Banter has always been at the heart of our relationship.'

Both Connie and Sam sitting down, Grace said, 'Katie, will you go into the kitchen and make some tea? And Michael, will you go and play with Lexie in the garden? She could use the exercise.'

'Trying to get rid of us?' said Katie with a smirk.

'Yes, there's something we need to talk to your parents about, and it is not for your ears,' said Sam.

'Fine,' said Katie.

As the living room door shut on Katie and Michael leaving the room, Connie said, 'I don't know why you insist on not telling them.'

'We do not want them to get their hopes up,' said Chris quietly. 'It might not happen.'

'Why won't it happen?' demanded Connie. 'I have seen both of you grow up, there is nothing that I do not know about the two of you. I know for sure that the two of you will make amazing parents, because I've seen the two of you raise Katie and Michael together. You have the capital to raise another child, you have room in your house.'

'But we work long hours,' said Grace sombrely as Chris squeezed her hand gently. 'The social worker had no doubt that we had enough money to raise a child, that we could provide for him or her materially and emotionally, but we already have two children, there are some people out there in our position with no children. And the hours we work, that's a deal killer. We just have to hope and pray.'

'There is no room for God in this!' exclaimed Connie. 'You have letters of recommendation from the top surgeons in the country, maybe even the world, aristocracy as well. You have proved yourself to be able to juggle your work and home life better than I ever could.'

'Mum!' exclaimed Grace.

'You can't be expected to have to suffer without your dream of a big family because of what that inbred did to you!' yelled Connie.

'What's going on?' said Katie from the doorway, Michael beside her.

'I think that it may be time to come clean,' said Chris quietly.

'Come and sit down children,' said Sam, moving across the sofa to make room for them.

As they sat down, Katie saw her mother's tears. 'Mum, what's wrong?'

'You were only little, I couldn't tell you,' said Grace, wiping her tears from her eyes.

'Tell us what Mum?' asked Michael. 'You're scaring me.'

'I was 5 months pregnant and about to go on Maternity leave,' said Grace softly. 'It was a busy shift on Darwin, and because I was only a registrar, I was in and out of theatre assisting with operations. There was a patient, whose life we couldn't save. His son didn't like the answers we gave him, and I had to call security to have him removed. He found me near the hospital reception, and...and...'

'Do you want me to carry on?' said Chris. Grace nodded. 'Your mother was stabbed, in the womb. Your auntie Juliet found her almost straight away, and tried to stop the bleeding. Your auntie Olivia and I came to help, and got your mum up into theatre. Your mum had to have an emergency c-section to get the baby out of her safely, but once he was out, your mum began to bleed heavily, and they had to take out her womb. She can't have children because of it...'

'I'm guessing that this baby was Michael because he's the youngest,' said Katie plainly.

'No,' said Grace softly. 'You were both born naturally. He would've been your baby brother, Stephen. But he didn't survive.'

'If this was after Mike was born, then how old was I?' demanded Katie.

'You were 6,' said Grace quietly. 'We never told you about Stephen, we didn't even tell you that I was pregnant. You just thought I got fat. Michael was only 16 months old.'

'So you want to adopt?' said Michael.

'We love the two of you very much,' said Chris. 'We have just always wanted a big family, which is why we had Katie so young. We have so much more love to give, and we want to give that to an adopted child.'

'But it might not happen,' said Grace sadly. 'Which is why we didn't tell you, we didn't want to get your hopes up.'

'It's okay mum,' said Katie, hugging her mum close. Michael also got up and joined in the hug.

'We're okay with it,' said Michael. 'It'll be cool to have a little brother or sister.'

'Yes it would be,' said Grace, hugging her children as tight as she could.

'Mum!' said Michael in embarrassment. 'You're squishing us.'

Loosening her hold, Grace said, 'I'm sorry sweethearts. I love you.'

'We love you too Mum,' they said in unison.

Remaining silent, Sam and Connie looked on, proud at the way their family dealt with difficult situations.


	8. Family Gathering Part 1

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_The Family Gathering...Part 1_

Connie had arranged to meet up with her and Sam's old friends an hour or so before the kids would show up, so that they could have a quiet catch up. It had been so long since she'd seen them, and they had a lot to talk about. Impending grandparent-hood, their charity work, the irresponsibility of some of their children, adoption, general problems and how their retirement was going.

Diane and Ric arrived first with a knock on the door.

Opening the door to greet them, Sam found himself looking at not just Diane and Ric, but Scarlett, Rose, Megan, Liam and Scott, Taylor's children.

'I can explain everything,' said Diane honestly.

'No problem, come in,' said Sam, helping to move Ric's wheelchair in.

'Don't put your knees out Sam,' said Ric with a hearty laugh.

'Ric,' said Sam. 'You are 91, and yet your humour doesn't improve with age.'

'Ahh, trust me,' replied Ric. 'I know all of the wheelchair related humour in the world.'

'I don't doubt that for a second,' said Sam as he wheeled Ric into the living room, where Connie greeted everyone with a warm hug.

'You've brought the grandchildren!' exclaimed Connie. 'Does Taylor know?'

'No, it's a surprise for him,' said Ric. 'Diane thought that she would talk to Teri, Georgina and Paula and get a day with them. And my wife's reasoning skills shone through, because here they are.'

'It wasn't that hard,' admitted Diane. 'They just aren't too keen on Taylor. But they love their ex mother in law.'

'They're not too keen on me, that's for sure,' said Ric.

'Not everyone can love you Ric,' said Connie. 'Simply marvel at you. You were how old when Jayden was born?'

'Hmm, hard one. He's 28 now, I'm 91, so I must've been....63? Wow, I am old!' remarked Ric.

Sitting down, Connie said, 'Megan, Rose, Liam, Scott, Scarlett, us oldies are going to talk for a while, so would you like to go and say hello to the animals? Lexie's missed you, and the rabbit babies are in the hutch.'

'Yeah,' exclaimed the kids, leaving the room.

'That was easy,' said Diane.

'Why do you think we got animals?' asked Sam. 'Perfect grandchildren distraction.'

'I like the way you think,' said Ric as the doorbell rang again.

'I'll get it,' said Sam, opening the door to Jac and Joseph.

'Lord and Lady Byrne,' remarked Sam, bowing in mockery.

'I hate having this title,' said Joseph.

'Hell, I wouldn't complain,' said Sam. 'Come in, come in. Ric and Diane are here, and they brought Taylor's kids as a surprise.'

'Isn't that sweet?' replied Jac. 'It's been ages since he's seen all of them together.'

'Lady Byrne, I could never have imagined you having a heart, yet I see the evidence in front of me,' said Sam cheekily.

'People change, whilst you don't,' replied Jac with a smile.

Everyone came in and sat down. As soon as they sat down, the doorbell rang again.

'I'll get it,' said Connie, going to the door. Opening it, she welcomed in Maddy and Linden.

'Just Oliver and Chrissie to come now,' said Connie as Maddy and Linden came and sat down.

Going to the kitchen, Connie went and made up some drinks for everyone. As she brought them in on a tray, Chrissie and Oliver had arrived.

Hugging them both, she said, 'It's been such a long time. We have so much to catch up on.'

Everyone else in the living room agreed.

'So...' said Sam. 'I bet you're enjoying being grandparents Chrissie and Olly.'

'Oh God,' said Chrissie. 'So much! All of our friends were having grandchildren and raving about it, their children were having children young, and all we had was Serena, who had trouble conceiving, and Callie and Max, who aren't interested at all. But we're blessed to have little Ash.'

'I can't wait to teach him football!' said Olly.

'Olly,' said Ric. 'You do realise how old you are, right?'

Bowing his head, Olly nodded.

'Thought so,' said Connie, laughing. 'It won't be long and Jac, Joseph, Sam and I will have a new grandchild!'

'I know!' exclaimed Jac. 'It's so exciting. My little Harry is settling down! He and Adi make a charming couple.'

'Adi's been through a lot,' admitted Connie. 'I blame myself for not being there for her.'

'It wasn't your fault,' said Sam, holding his wife's hand. 'It is in Adi's nature to be a bit too loving and trusting. But she learnt her lesson, and now she's happy.'

'And that's good,' said Joseph. 'Grandchild number 8 on the way.'

'Gosh, is it really that many?' asked Connie. 'We have 4 with one on the way.'

'We have Juliet's 4, Tristan, Cameron, Liliana and Charlotte, Chris and Grace's 2, Katie and Michael, then Adi and Harry's Isla and unborn Kai,' said Joseph.

'It pleases us greatly that both of you and Harry count Isla as your own,' said Sam. 'It means a lot to us, Adi and Isla.'

'Why wouldn't we?' asked Jac. 'Harry and Adi are married now, Adi is a Byrne now, and Isla is part of Adi, so she's family too.'

'We are all our own little family,' said Maddy. 'It's great, our children have married their closest friends in our group. Like Fin and Cassie, they were best friends at nursery school, and here they are now, with children of their own. It's surreal to think it.'

'It is,' agreed Linden. 'Also how our children have turned out to be is surreal. How they seem to be the perfect middle between their parents, although there are exceptions.'

In unison, everyone said, 'Taylor, Mason, Olivia, Max and Erin.'

Chuckling, Linden said, 'Okay, there are quite a few exceptions.'

'Mason is so alike to Sam it is unbelievable,' said Connie. 'He even has Brady, who he doesn't see, just like Sam didn't see Keiron.'

The others nodded their head.

'Max is exactly like I used to be,' admitted Olly.

'I have to agree with that,' said Chrissie. 'He has the charm, the slight arrogance, the ambition, even being the older twin thing like Olly had with Penny.'

Everyone nodded their head once more.

'Olivia is a lot like the old Jac,' said Joseph. 'Very career driven.'

'But a lot more extreme,' said Jac. 'She never liked the idea of children, she made consultant a lot faster than I did, and as Mason put it before 'she'd even screw her own father to rise up the ranks.'

'Hmmm,' said Joseph. 'I spoke to her about that. I told her, drop names, fine, but never go that far.'

'As if she would,' said Jac. 'Not even Olivia is that disturbing. Mason's symbolism of her ambition is however.'

'I take no responsibility for that humour,' said Connie. 'Blame Sam.'

'The woman has a point,' admitted Sam. 'I might've encouraged it a tad too much.'

'I think I may have done that with Erin,' said Maddy. 'I encouraged her to have a good time in life, but she's becoming too much like I was. She drinks far too much when she goes out.'

'She'll see sense eventually,' said Linden, squeezing his wife's hand. 'She might even find religion.'

'I wouldn't count on it,' said Maddy. 'Fin's religious to a point, be happy with that. I don't think you'll convert Erin from atheism.'

'I'll try,' said Linden.

'Last but not least, Taylor,' said Ric. 'He's me.'

'I am not arguing with that,' said Diane. 'Married 4 times, divorced 4 times, 5 children, 1 of whom he sees when he wants, just like Ric did with Jess.'

'I didn't encourage him,' said Ric. 'I'm sure of it. Maybe some things just run in the genes.'

As Ric finished his sentence, the doorbell rang.

'That'll be the kids,' said Connie. 'Don't tell them about this conversation.'


	9. Family Gathering Part 2

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_The Family Gathering...Part 2_

_As Ric finished his sentence, the doorbell rang._

'_That'll be the kids,' said Connie. 'Don't tell them about this conversation.'_

She stood up and went to the door, where Adelaide, Harry and Isla stood before her.

'Adi,' exclaimed Connie, hugging her tightly. 'God it's been long. Seems like only yesterday that your bump was barely showing.'

'Well Kai's growing, fast,' said Adi grumpily.

'The midwife thinks 10-12 pounds easily,' said Harry with a hint of pride as they all walked in.

'Double what Isla was when she was born,' said Adi with a huff.

'Yeah but Mum,' said Isla. 'I was like 3 weeks early.'

'Fair point,' replied Adi.

'Come and sit down,' said Sam, helping Adi into the chair he was previously sitting in.

'Dad, I'm pregnant, not terminal,' said Adi with an annoyed tone.

Turning away from her, Sam raised his eyebrows at Isla and Harry.

'She's been like that for the past few days,' said Isla. 'Niceness is annoying her at the moment.'

'Everyone's treating me like a china doll!' exclaimed Adi.

'Honey,' said Harry. 'We're not treating you like a china doll, we're treating you like a pregnant Adi.'

'Same thing,' she replied.

Sensing that their daughter in law really was in an awful mood, Jac and Joseph decided to save the talk for later.

The doorbell went again, and Isla got up to answer it.

'Hey uncle Mason and uncle Max,' she said, hugging them both and leading them inside. 'The Chuckle Bachelors are here!'

The others giggled at Isla's nickname for them that she'd used for Max and Mason collectively since she was old enough to understand what a bachelor was.

'Why don't you go out into the garden Isla?' said Connie. 'Rose, Liam, Scott, Scarlett and Megan are out there.'

'Cool,' said Isla, leaving the room.

'At least she's not calling me a man whore,' said Mason.

'No that's my job,' said Olivia from the open doorway.

'She's got a point,' said Max.

'Ahh my charming sister in law,' said Mason.

'Hey hey hey,' said Sam. 'There are parents feeling neglected here. Come and say hello!'

Coming further into the house, Mason, Olivia and Max greeted their parents, aunts and uncles with a hug.

Sitting down, Chrissie said, 'So, Max, when are you going to find a steady girlfriend, settle down and have children?'

'When Mason does,' replied Max.

'He has a son,' said Chrissie.

'From a one night stand at 19,' reminded Max. 'Hardly counts, he hasn't settled down yet.'

'If either one of us settled down, the other would be lost,' said Mason melodramatically.

'It's very true,' agreed Max.

'I want grandchildren!' exclaimed Chrissie in a strop.

'I'm sure that Callie could help with that,' said Max.

'Why?' asked Olly. 'What do you know that we don't?'

'That she has her eye on a certain Taylor Griffin, and intends to pull a Diane,' said Harry from a distance. 'Me and Cassie wind him up about it.'

'Pull a Diane?' asked Diane in shock. 'And what would 'pulling a Diane' consist of?'

'You married Ric and managed to change his constant divorces...The two of you settled down, had children etc etc. Callie thinks that she can be like you and change Taylor as you did Ric,' said Harry.

'Wow,' said Max. 'She's my twin and you know more than I do.'

After another knock at the door, Diane stood up to answer it, opening the door to her daughter Cassie, her husband Finlay and her grandchildren, Matilda and Leo.

'It's been so long,' said Diane, pulling all of them into a group hug.

'Mum, baby needs oxygen,' said Cassie from the middle.

'Wait wait wait,' said Ric. 'My hearing's a little dodgy, but did Cassie just say that baby needs oxygen?'

'Oh my God! You're pregnant!' exclaimed Diane, hugging her closer. 'That's amazing news!'

'Nan,' said Matilda. 'Is Megan, Rose and Scarlett here?'

'They're out in the garden with Isla, Scott and Liam,' she said, making both Leo and Matilda run outside.

Walking with Cassie and Fin inside, Diane said, 'So how do you feel?'

'Crap,' admitted Cassie, sitting down on the sofa next to Adi.

'Welcome to pregnant 2 seated sofa,' said Adi sarcastically. 'It's nickname is Crapville.'

'Ahhh,' replied Cassie.

Getting up, the men came and shook Finlay's hand and hugged Cassie, while the women hugged both of them.

'So how far along are you?' asked Maddy.

'12 weeks,' said Fin proudly.

'So in 6 months, I'm going to be a grandmother again?' asked Maddy as Fin nodded.

Getting up, Maddy hugged him again and said, 'Thank god for you being the sensible one out of my children. Where is the younger version of party animal me anyway?'

'No idea,' admitted Fin. 'But her and Jay hit a rocky patch.'

'His travelling?' asked Ric.

Fin nodded.

'It was a mistake to name him after Abra and Kumi, he acts too much like them,' said Ric.

'I think that she's tired of months on end without any contact,' said Fin.

'I don't blame her,' said Diane, interrupted by the doorbell.

'I'll get it,' said Olivia, getting up and opening the door. Before her stood her twin Juliet, Juliet's husband Ray and their 4 children, Tristan, Cameron, Charlotte and Liliana.

'Hi Liv,' said Juliet as she walked in. 'Kids, go and say hi to everyone and then we'll see if we can find the others.'

'Okay,' they replied, going to hug everyone.

'Scarlett, Rose, Liam, Scott, Megan, Isla, Matilda and Leo are out in the garden,' said Connie. 'Although what's keeping them busy I have no idea.'

'They're probably trying to train Lexie,' said Tristan, Juliet's oldest at age 14. 'Last time they made her throw up because of all the treats they were giving her.'

'Oh dear,' said Connie.

'It's okay aunt Connie, I'll keep an eye on them,' said Tristan. 'Come on skid marks.'

'Mum!' exclaimed 8 year old Cameron. 'Tristan called us skid marks.'

'He's only playing around,' said Ray. 'Go and play.'

'Okay,' said Liliana, the next oldest after Tristan at age 12.

'Do you want us to keep Lottie here?' asked Juliet.

'I want to goooo,' whinged 4 year old Charlotte.

'We'll keep an eye on her,' said Tristan.

'Okay,' said Juliet with a smile. 'We're here if you need anything.'

'So did you hear?' said an excited Diane. 'Cassie's pregnant!'

'Oh wow, really?' asked Juliet. 'That's great!'

'I'm really jealous,' said Chrissie. 'We have the least amount of grandchildren, only 1.'

Right on cue, the doorbell rang again.

'I'll get it!' said Chrissie. 'It might be Serena, David and Asher.'

Opening the door, she said, 'Speak of the little devils. Come in guys.'

'Before my mother announces it, I am pregnant, carry on with your conversation,' said a fed up Cassie.

'Great news!' said Serena, noting Chrissie eyeing up Asher. Getting him out of his car seat, she said, 'There you go Mum, I saw you.'

'Yay,' said Chrissie, cradling Asher and cooing at him.

'I am astounded that we didn't end up with a football team of kids,' said Olly. 'Chrissie loves babies too much.'

'I do,' admitted Chrissie. 'I can't wait to get my hands on little Kai.'

'Mum, you're baby and grandchild mad,' stated Serena.

'You know me too well sweetheart,' remarked Chrissie.

There was another knock at the door, and Connie went to open it.

'Grace, Chris, Katie, Michael, it's so nice to see you again,' she said, embracing them.

'We'll go and say hi, then go and play in the garden,' said Michael.

'Who's out there?' asked Katie.

'Tristan, Cameron, Liliana, Charlotte, Liam, Rose, Scarlett, Scott, Megan, Isla, Matilda, Leo, umm that's about it, for now,' said Connie.

'Cool,' said Michael.

Juliet said, 'Katie, can you help Tristan and Isla keep everyone in line? You three are the oldest.'

'Sure,' said Katie, going with Michael to say to everyone, then leaving.

Sitting down, Grace said, 'Sorry we took so long, Katie and her boyfriend borrowed the car to go out on their date last night and this morning, the keys had vanished.'

'We found them in Katie's room,' said Chris. 'Eventually.'

'That's fine,' said the others.

'So how's the adoption process going?' said Joseph. 'I couldn't have been more positive and enthusiastic on my referral.'

'It went a long way,' said Grace. 'But still no phone call.'

'It will do in time,' said Jac hopefully. 'You two will make amazing parents.'

'Cassie's pregnant!' exclaimed Diane, interrupting.

'Mother, stop it,' replied Cassie. 'My mother is a bit overexcited at her 3rd grandchild's arrival in 6 months.'

'Congratulations,' said Chris and Grace in unison as the doorbell went, again.

'I'll get it,' said Max, opening the door to Callie and Taylor.

'Callie? Taylor? Together?' he asked in confusion.

'Callie's car broke down, I drove past and offered her a lift,' said Taylor.

'I bet,' said Max, not believing and raising his eyebrows.

Diane greeted Taylor, and then sneaked off to get his surprise.

Returning a few minutes later with Rose, Megan, Scarlett, Scott and Liam, they enthusiastically shouted, 'DAD!' and ran into his arms, him pulling them into a big group hug.

'You have no idea how much I've missed you guys,' said Taylor. Looking up to Diane, he said, 'Mum, how did you do it?'

'I reminded them that you can't keep kids from one half of their family,' said Diane.

'I'm so grateful Mum,' he replied, letting go of the kids and hugging her. 'I can finally spend some proper time with them.'

'It's good that you're prepared to,' said Diane. 'Go and congratulate your sister, she's pregnant.'

'Congratulations sis,' said Taylor, leaning down to hug Cassie. Shaking Fin's hand, he said, 'Well done Fin.'

'Where on earth are Erin and Jay?' asked Maddy.

'I have no clue,' said Linden.

They went about their usual family gathering routine, drinking, catching up and gossiping slightly.

Maddy's phone started to ring loudly.

'That's Jay's ringtone,' said Maddy. 'I wonder what's going on.'

She picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear.

'Jay! What's going on? Did you and Erin get wrapped up in makeup sex?' she asked cheekily. 'What? She what? We're leaving right this minute. Look after her for us.'

'What's going on?' asked Linden.

'Jay went back to Erin's to pick up some stuff, and found her passed out in the living room, an empty bottle of vodka beside her. He thinks she has alcohol poisoning,' she said hurriedly.

'We'll have to get down there,' said Linden. 'You coming Fin?'

'Yup,' replied Fin, turning to Cassie. 'Is it okay if I go and leave you here?'

'Of course it is sweetheart,' said Cassie, kissing his cheek. 'Go and look after Erin.'


	10. Erin in the Hospital

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Erin in the hospital..._

'_Jay went back to Erin's to pick up some stuff, and found her passed out in the living room, an empty bottle of vodka beside her. He thinks she has alcohol poisoning,' she said hurriedly._

'_We'll have to get down there,' said Linden. 'You coming Fin?'_

'_Yup,' replied Fin, turning to Cassie. 'Is it okay if I go and leave you here?'_

'_Of course it is sweetheart,' said Cassie, kissing his cheek. 'Go and look after Erin.'_

Linden, Maddy and Finlay sprinted to the car, Fin jumping into the driving seat and speeding away.

'I hope she's okay,' said Maddy in deep concern.

'She will be sweetheart,' said Linden softly, squeezing her hand. 'She's just going through a rough time with Jay. We'll get her the help she needs, I promise.'

'I'm going to kill him,' growled Fin. 'It's his globetrotting that made Erin so introverted, she stopped going out, she stopped drinking with her friends and started drinking alone. And that's what led to this! She knew her limits before, and even though she drank too much, she knew when to stop. But he let her down, it's his fault she's like that.'

'Chill out Fin,' said Linden sternly. 'Our only priority at this moment in time should be Erin. We can be angry at Jay when Erin's better.'

'Your dad's right Fin,' said Maddy. 'We can play the blame game later, when we know she's okay.'

Carrying on breaking the speed limit, Fin got everyone to the hospital in one piece.

As they sprinted into the ED, they were met by a woman in a suit.

'Helena, what's going on here?' asked Fin to the woman.

The woman, Helena Harper was the first child of Harry Harper and Ellen Zitek. She had blonde hair and brown eyes, and was the same age as Fin.

'I couldn't believe it when I saw the paramedics come in with her,' said Helena softly. 'My registrar is pumping her stomach as we speak, and we'll see how she's doing. We're giving her IV fluids for her dehydration, hopefully there won't be any more problems.'

'Helena, tell us honestly,' said Linden. 'Is she going to be okay?'

'There's no way I could say at this point. Her case is severe, but it's not the worst I've seen. Hopefully, the fluids and the stomach pumping will stabilise her, but I honestly cannot put a definite prognosis until after we've rehydrated her.'

'Oh God,' said Maddy emotionally. 'Did Jay come in with her?'

'Yeah, he refused to leave resus,' replied Helena. 'We had to get security to take him out for a while. He's in the coffee shop, cooling off.'

'Can we see her now?' asked Maddy.

Seeing her registrar leave resus, Helena said, 'It looks like Mr Winters is done, so feel free.'

'Thank you,' said Linden, leading Maddy and Fin into resus, where an unconscious Erin lay before them.

Losing all self-control, Maddy ran to Erin's bedside and held her close.

'My poor baby,' she said, sobbing. 'My little girl. But you're not my little girl anymore. You're turning into me. We're gonna stop that Erin, we're going to get you help. We'll help you turn your life around.'

Taking the chair beside Maddy, Linden said, 'Your mum's right Erin. Were going to help you. We promise.'

Standing at the side of the bed opposite to his parents, Fin held Erin's hand and said, 'I'm sorry I didn't help you little sis, everything's going to change now, I promise.'

As they simply sat and watched Erin, saying a few things here and there, Jay rushed in and shouted, 'ERIN!'

Sitting by her side, his voice softening, he said, 'It's all my fault. Everything I've put you through led to this moment. I never deserved your love, because I'm a worthless maverick who runs from everything.'


	11. Arguments Can Kill

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Arguments can kill..._

_As they simply sat and watched Erin, saying a few things here and there, Jay rushed in and shouted, 'ERIN!'_

_Sitting by her side, his voice softening, he said, 'It's all my fault. Everything I've put you through led to this moment. I never deserved your love, because I'm a worthless maverick who runs from everything.'_

'You're right about that,' growled Fin. 'Why my sister chose you I have no idea.'

'Fin,' said Maddy and Linden warningly in unison.

'I don't either,' admitted Jay.

'She's a beautiful, intelligent, social, caring and good natured woman,' shouted Fin. 'Look what you've reduced her to!'

Looking towards Erin's almost sleeping form, Jay said in almost a whisper, 'I didn't mean for it to get like this.'

'You didn't mean for it to get like this?' mimicked Fin. 'Erin's lost so much weight that she's beginning to look like a starving orphan from Africa! She barely eats when you're away. All of the colour in her cheeks vanishes every time you go travelling and leave her behind! She shows up almost every morning with a hangover, she's starting smoking again, she doesn't go out with her friends anymore, she drinks alone. For not meaning to get it like this, you've still done unbelievable damage.'

'Don't you think I know?' roared Jay. 'Don't you think it kills me that every time I go away she goes into self destruct mode? That she spends hours every time I leave crying? That she begs me to stay?'

'If it kills you so much,' said Maddy. 'Why do you go?'

'Because I can't stay in one place for too long. I've always been like that,' admitted Jay.

'This is my little girl,' said Linden. 'You promised me you'd treat her right Jay, you promised me. You swore that you'd treat my little angel like a princess.'

Getting increasingly angry, Jay said, 'You think your daughter was an angel? Live in the real world Linden, she was anything but. You don't know half of what I know about her.'

'Want to bet?' said Linden, challenging Jay.

'Did you know that she was on drugs when she was 16 up until she was 20?' asked Jay.

'Yes,' said Maddy. 'We got her off smoking cannabis. She came to us when she failed a test because of it. We helped her get off it.'

'Did you know that she lost her virginity when she was 14 to a teacher?' asked Jay. 'Mr Potts, her form tutor?'

'Of course we knew,' spat Linden. 'I went round to the school and had a word with him when Erin told us how he took advantage of her.'

'Did you know that she had an abortion?' said Jay. 'Of Mr Pott's baby?'

'I took her to the clinic,' said Maddy, tears in her eyes. 'Why are you bringing up everything that Erin has ever done?'

'I'm trying to prove to your husband that she is no angel,' said Jay. 'I love her, but she isn't an angel in any way, shape or form. Did you know that she tried to kill herself once?'

'You never told us that,' said Maddy quietly.

'Why didn't you?' asked Linden sternly.

'Because she was fragile enough as it was before I came along!' shouted Jay. 'We all know that Erin isn't exactly the picture of mental health!'

'Enough!' exclaimed Fin, punching Jay square in the jaw until he fell to the floor. 'Stop all of this now! Stop talking about her like that. She's my sister, I can't listen to you slander her name!'

'I know it's not exactly great to hear some home truths,' said Jay. 'But, Erin is no angel, she's hanging onto her marbles on a fine thread that's breaking. I travel because I can't stay in the same place for too long, and if I'm honest, Erin is too overbearing. Don't get me wrong, I love her, but I can't be by her side 24/7, nor would I want to.'

As he sat up, he received another blow to his face from Linden, knocking him to the floor again.

'She is a decent, beautiful, caring and sane woman who you do not deserve,' growled Linden. 'Now get out of here right now, and don't you dare think of coming back, or so help me God I'll kill you. Tell Erin what you just told us when she wakes up, if she wakes up, and get out of our lives for good, you jumped up maverick.'

Sitting up and holding his bleeding nose, Jay began to leave the room, saying 'So much for a bible basher.'

As he crossed the threshold of the door, the machines began to beep loudly, and blood began to seep through the neat white linen in the bed where Erin lay.


	12. And The Penny Drops

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_And the penny drops..._

_As he crossed the threshold of the door, the machines began to beep loudly, and blood began to seep through the neat white linen in the bed where Erin lay._

'Oh God,' exclaimed Maddy, running out of the doors and shouting helplessly in emotional agony, 'Helena!'

As Helena sprinted towards her in a hurried pace, Maddy said, 'Helena, she's bleeding. I don't know why. Please help her.'

'Okay,' said Helena, rushing back through the doors with her. 'Can we get some help in here?'

The nurses began to crowd around Erin as Helena assessed her condition.

'Call Obs and Gynae now,' demanded Helena.

'What's going on here?' asked Linden.

'Please tell us,' begged Fin.

'Possible haemorrhage as a result of miscarriage,' said Helena quietly.

'Oh God,' said Maddy, the tears flowing from her eyes.

'Don't let Jay hear that,' said Fin in a low growl.

'I heard,' said Jay, stepping away from the door and closer to them.

'Maybe you should leave,' suggested Linden. 'You've said enough already.'

'You can't just kick me out of here,' said Jay, his voice increasing in volume. 'That's my baby she's miscarrying.'

'I don't care,' said Fin. 'You can't just take back everything that you've said, leave now.'

'Fine,' said Jay, beginning to leave. 'I'll be in the coffee shop in case you change your mind.'

'Believe me, we won't,' growled Fin in reply.

As he left, Helena said, 'I'm really sorry guys, but you're going to have to wait outside.'

'Okay,' replied Linden, leading his wife and son out of resus and to the seats outside.

'She'll be okay, won't she?' asked Maddy, looking to her husband for reassurance.

'Of course she will sweetheart,' replied Linden, squeezing her hand gently. 'She's a fighter, we all know that.'

'Yeah mum,' said Fin. 'She's made of tough Cullen stuff.'

'Look at the two of you,' said Maddy with pride. 'My boys, here for me, reassuring me it's all going to be okay.'

'Like always mum,' replied Fin, squeezing Maddy's shoulder.

'Do you want a coffee?' asked Linden to both of them. 'I need a caffeine fix.'

'I'll get them dad,' said Fin, standing up.

'Oh no you won't son,' said Linden in reply. 'Jay's down there, and I seem to be the only one out of me and you in a state of reasonable calm. So I'll go.'

'Fine,' said Fin with a huff.

'It's like you're a kid again,' whispered Maddy to Fin as Linden left. 'You were always so protective of Erin, she idolised you for it even though it annoyed her sometimes.'

'She's my little sister,' said Fin. 'I want to keep her safe.'

'I know,' replied Maddy quietly. 'But hurting Jay won't keep her safe.'

***

Linden returned a few minutes later with 3 lattes, and handed them out to Maddy and Fin.

'Did you see Jay in the coffee shop?' asked Maddy.

'Yeah,' said Linden softly. 'He couldn't even look me in the eye.'

When Helena came out, they all stood up in unison.

'It was a miscarriage,' said Helena quietly. 'She was about 8 weeks along.'

'Has she stabilised now?' asked Maddy.

'Yes,' said Helena. 'We gave her a D&A and pushed a lot of fluids through her, and her vital signs have stabilised, which is good. We're hopeful that she'll make a good recovery.'

'Thank God,' said Linden softly.

'Wait a minute,' said Fin. 'Did you say 8 weeks?'

Helena nodded.

'What are you trying to get at Fin?' asked Helena in confusion.

'Jay's been away for the past 4 months in Africa,' said Fin.

'Which means that the baby can't be his, it had to have been someone else's,' said Helena, finishing his sentence.

'Forget that for now,' said Linden. 'We should channel our prayers into getting her well.'

'Are you going down to the chapel?' asked Maddy. Linden nodded. 'I'm coming. How about you Fin?'

'I'll stay up here with Erin,' said Fin. 'If she wakes up, I want her to see a friendly face.'

'Okay,' said Maddy, hugging him close. 'Be strong, we'll be back in about half an hour. I love you.'

'I love you too Mum,' he said quietly. 'Helena, can I go and sit with Erin?'

'Sure you can,' said Helena. 'Just don't get too angry.'

'I won't,' replied Fin as Helena walked away.


	13. Fin

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Fin_

'_I love you too Mum,' he said quietly. 'Helena, can I go and sit with Erin?'_

'_Sure you can,' said Helena. 'Just don't get too angry.'_

'_I won't,' replied Fin as Helena walked away._

Taking up a seat beside Erin's bed, Fin took her hand and held it, squeezing it gently to show that he was here.

'Hey little sis,' he said softly. 'Mum and Dad should be here soon, they've gone to the chapel to pray for a while. Dad's doing it out of habit, and Mum out of desperation, I think. So I offered to stay down here and wait with you, hope I don't become too annoying.'

Looking at Erin's usually perfected hair becoming wispy and a little bit frizzy around the edges, Fin smoothed down her curls and sighed, 'If you could see what your hair looks like, gosh you'd die of embarrassment. You always did hate the curls you got from mum, said they made you look like Scary Spice. I remember every morning before we went to school, the smell of burning hair coming from your room because you didn't know you had to use serum to stop the damage.'

Chuckling to himself, he said, 'The good days, eh? Before anything particularly bad happened to us, well, to you. You always drew the short straw with life, trouble just managed to find you and sully your life. But what leaves me in awe of you is the way you smile through everything, like nothing affects you. Always staying positive, even through your darkest hours. It broke my heart so see that life always chose you for its hardships, and I vowed to protect you all the way, because you're my baby sister, and I love you more than anything.'

Stopping to consider his thoughts, he said, 'That's why I did what I did. You never even knew it was me, you were relieved that you thought you knew that I hadn't crossed the line. But I did, believe me, I did. 14 years I kept it hidden from you, what I did to that paedophile. Because even though you thought you loved him, that's what he was. You saw that towards the end, when he made you cry a river of tears. That's when I had to stop him.'

Pausing again, he sighed and said, 'You've been so brave through life, tackling things head on, not letting anyone get you down. You've been through so much that you deserve a lifetime of happiness, and I hope that you'll find it, I really do. I just hope it's not with Jay, because you deserve so much better. Maybe the father of your baby will be the one, I don't even know who he is, but he must've been pretty special for you to cheat on Jay, because even though Jay was unreliable, you still saw something in him. That's your saving grace and your downfall, you see the good in everyone, and they end up hurting you. And I always step in. I don't mind, because no sacrifice is big enough for my family, you're the centre of my world. I'd rather be imprisoned for life than see any harm come to you, Mum, Dad, Cassie or the kids.'

He stopped again to recollect his thoughts, and said, 'I don't know why you couldn't have came to talk to us, we'd of listened, we could've got you help. But now it's out in the open, I promise you that you won't have to suffer in silence. We'll get you help, we'll be there for you as you recover, we'll be your shoulders to cry on, like we've always been. I love you Eri, and if we could swap places, I'd take up the offer in a heartbeat. But I can't, so please fight these, please get better.'

He planted a small kiss on the hand that he held, and squeezed it gently once more. A few seconds later, he received a small squeeze in reply.

'Erin!' he exclaimed. 'Come on little sis, do this for your big bro, if you can hear me, open your eyes.'

Erin's eye lids began to flutter gently, and slowly lifted open.


	14. Waking Up

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_He planted a small kiss on the hand that he held, and squeezed it gently once more. A few seconds later, he received a small squeeze in reply._

'_Erin!' he exclaimed. 'Come on little sis, do this for your big bro, if you can hear me, open your eyes.'_

_Erin's eye lids began to flutter gently, and slowly lifted open._

'Erin!' said Fin with a sigh of relief. 'You're okay.'

Taking her oxygen mask off, she said, 'What happened?'

'Sis, put your mask back on, it's there for a reason,' replied Fin. 'I promise that I'll tell you everything, I just have to get Helena to check you out.'

'Great,' she replied sarcastically.

'Mask,' he said, slightly scolding her as he left the room to find Helena.

'Helena,' he said, catching her attention at reception.

'What's wrong Fin?' asked Helena. 'Is Erin worsening?'

'No,' replied Fin breathlessly. 'She's awake! I've got to ring mum and dad.'

Taking out his phone, he dialled his mum's mobile, and when she picked up, he simply said, 'She's awake,' and put the phone down.

Following Helena, Fin broke into a jog back to resus, where Erin was now lying with a bemused smile on her face.

'What's so funny?' asked Fin.

'You run like a duck,' remarked Erin.

'Charming,' replied Fin.

As Helena checked her over, Erin said, 'So are you going to tell me what happened now?'

'Well, you're stable and holding, so take it easy, no stress, and call me if you need anything,' said Helena. 'I'll leave Fin to explain what happened.'

'Thanks Helena,' said Fin as she left.

'So, tell me what happened,' said Erin sternly. 'I honestly don't remember a thing.'

'Nothing?' asked Fin.

'Nope,' replied Erin.

'What's the last thing you remember?' asked Fin.

'Ummm, my birthday party,' said Erin after some thought.

'Eri, that was 5 months ago,' said Fin quietly.

'Oh God,' said Erin emotionally, rubbing the tears from her eyes. 'What's happened to me?'

'You were brought in with alcohol poisoning,' said Fin gravely.

'Dear God,' replied Erin. 'But I can hold my drink!'

'Not this time,' said Fin. 'This isn't going to make any sense to you, so I'm going to have to explain what has happened in the last 5 months.'

'Please do,' replied Erin.

'Jay went away again,' said Fin. 'It really hit you this time. You started drinking alone, not eating, smoking again, losing weight.'

'I can't have done!' exclaimed Erin. 'I don't like Jay going away, but it doesn't hurt me that much! And I'm the same size as I've been since I was about 15.'

'You're not,' replied Fin. 'Feel yourself, your ribs.'

Slipping her hands under the covers and feeling her ribs, Erin said, 'Oh my God!'

'I guess that you've lost about 2 stone,' said Fin. 'You were slim to start with, you're skeletal now.'

'Tell me about it,' said Erin. 'What else happened?'

'You fell pregnant,' replied Fin. 'By someone who wasn't Jay. None of us knew.'

'I would never cheat on Jay!' exclaimed Erin. 'I love him. And if none of you knew, how do you know now?'

'You were 8 weeks pregnant,' said Fin. 'When they brought you in here 12 hours ago. You miscarried Eri.'

The tears flowing from her eyes, Erin said, 'I lost my baby?'

Fin nodded solemnly.

'Do you know who the father is?' asked Erin.

Shaking his head, Fin said, 'No, I don't. I thought you'd have known when you woke up.'

Thinking hard about it, Erin said, 'I can't remember! Where's Jay?'

'He's gone,' said Fin quietly. 'Eri, do you trust me to tell you the truth?'

'More than anyone,' declared Erin.

'Jay was here, but he was removed,' said Fin. 'He said the most awful things.'

'Like what?' asked Erin.

'He brought up things like your drug problem in your teens, your relationship with Mr Potts, your abortion, how you tried to kill yourself. He said that you weren't the picture of mental health, that you were holding onto your marbles by a fine thread, that you were overbearing,' said Fin, trying not to get angry.

'Oh,' said Erin quietly. 'He does that sometimes. Sometimes he's the perfect gentleman, a cheeky chappie, but others, he can be really mean. Did someone hit him?'

Chuckling slightly, Fin said, 'Both Dad and I did.'

'Good,' replied Erin. 'Because he's never gone that far before. I bet that once he hears of my little memory loss, he'll deny everything and try to crawl back into my life, I know him too well. And God knows that I trust you more than him. I believe you Fin.'

'Thanks Eri,' he said softly. 'You really scared us there.'

'I scared myself,' she replied. 'But hopefully, everything will be okay.'

The doors flew open as Maddy and Linden stormed in to hug Erin.

'My baby,' said Maddy tearfully. 'I'm so glad that you're better.'

'Thank God,' said Linden, looking to the ceiling.

'Oit,' said Erin. 'Don't give God the credit for this, I did it on my own like a good little atheist.'

Chuckling, Linden said, 'She's back.'

'Although not 100%,' said Erin. 'The last 5 months are a blur, Fin's filled me in a little bit, but the rest is shady. It should only be temporary though, which is good, because I would like my memories back.'

'And the baby?' asked Maddy.

'I've been told,' replied Erin. 'But I can't feel distraught for something I didn't know was there, that I can't remember conceiving, that I can't remember losing. It's sad, but it's just the way things go.'

'My baby's growing up,' said Maddy gently.

'It's been a long time coming,' replied Erin.


	15. Breaking The News

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

'_And the baby?' asked Maddy. _

'_I've been told,' replied Erin. 'But I can't feel distraught for something I didn't know was there, that I can't remember conceiving, that I can't remember losing. It's sad, but it's just the way things go.'_

'_My baby's growing up,' said Maddy gently._

'_It's been a long time coming,' replied Erin._

Smiling, Linden said, 'Is it okay if we go back to Connie and Sam's to let everyone know you're alright? They'll be tearing their hair out by now.'

'Sure,' said Erin.

'I can stay,' said Fin. 'Cassie won't mind.'

'No, Fin, go,' begged Erin. 'Go and be with her.'

'Wait, does she know?' asked Maddy.

'Nope,' said Erin. 'Clueless.'

'Cassie's pregnant,' said Fin quietly.

'And you thought that it would cause me pain to know?' asked Erin.

Fin nodded in silence. 'It's not fair what happened to you Eri. I feel guilty that we're having our baby and you won't get to have yours.'

'It's ok,' said Erin quietly. 'I'm happy for you, honestly. I wasn't ready to be a Mum. I needed to grow up.'

'And now?' asked Maddy.

'I need to stop drinking, start eating, spend more time with my family, and find the ominous Holy Grail that is Mr Right. It took something this severe to get me to grow up, in a way I'm grateful that this happened,' said Erin.

'Very mature,' said Linden. 'I sense you becoming a born again Christian.'

'Maybe,' replied Erin. 'Maybe Dad. Don't get your hopes up though.'

'I'll try not to,' said Linden with a chuckle. 'I guess that we'll be off now, you rest.'

'I will do,' replied Erin, hugging Fin, Maddy and Linden as one. 'When I get moved up to a ward, get everyone to come and visit me. I miss everyone. We can pull some strings at letting everyone visit, can't we? All of us, I can't keep count, but about 20-30?'

'Sounds about right,' said Fin. 'Call it a huge extended family. Bye sis.'

'Bye bro,' said Erin as everyone left the room.

Lying back down, she wiped a tear from her eye, because even though she felt happiness for her brother and sister in law, and although she knew deep down she wasn't ready for motherhood, she knew with everything that she was that she would've changed for her baby, and loved he or she unconditionally. And that sorrow filled her heart.

What also hurt was that she didn't know who she made the baby with, her memory having deserted her on that one. She was determined to find out who it was, and decided that once she was better, she would start her investigations.

_At Connie and Sam's..._

Knocking back on the door, Fin, Maddy and Linden took a deep breath as Connie opened the door.

'Hi guys,' said Connie. 'Come in, come in.'

All of them sat down and were in silence until Cassie said to Fin, 'How's Erin?'

'She's awake,' said Fin with a smile.

'That's great!' said everyone.

'Yeah,' said Linden.

'And Jay?' asked Diane.

'Don't get them started,' said Maddy. 'He wasn't exactly on his best behaviour. I think that he and Erin are over. He said some really awful things.'

'He doesn't mean them,' said Diane softly.

'We know,' said Maddy. 'But the things he said, they can't be taken back. Hopefully he and Eri can be friends again, but I don't think that it'll go further than that.'

'So, what's Erin up to now?' asked Juliet.

'Trying to hold everything in,' said Fin. 'I know her too well. She tried to be happy, but she's struggling to cope. The situation wasn't as cut and dry as we originally thought.'

'What does that mean?' asked Grace.

'It wasn't just alcohol poisoning,' said Maddy quietly. 'She was pregnant, and she miscarried. When she woke up, she couldn't remember the last five months at all.'

'Oh God,' said Max. 'So she doesn't remember getting pregnant?'

'Nope,' said Linden. 'And from the dates, it seems that Jay wasn't the father.'

'But please don't blame Erin for this,' pleaded Fin to Diane and Ric.

'We don't,' said Diane and Ric in unison.

'I'm sure that Jay played an equal role,' said Ric. 'If he wasn't away so often...'

'Erin wouldn't have been so sad and lonely,' said Diane, finishing his sentence. 'I can understand why she did it.'

'Do they think that the amnesia will subside?' asked Serena.

'They hope so,' said Linden. 'But they're doubtful.'

'We'll have to go and see her,' said Cassie.

Chuckling, Fin said, 'She mentioned it. She was asking for everyone to pull some strings so that she can have a lot of visitors.'

'That'll be down to me I guess,' said Chris. 'I'll pull the CEO card, and we'll all go and see her.'

'That's sorted then,' said Maddy. 'But please be sensitive about the whole pregnancy thing, it's still a little raw for her.'

'Of course,' said the others.


	16. Visiting

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

**Forgive me for not posting as often as I should, had my first really long exam for GCSE on Tuesday. Major pain in the butt, and another one in a few days, so am trying to focus on those.**

'_We'll have to go and see her,' said Cassie._

_Chuckling, Fin said, 'She mentioned it. She was asking for everyone to pull some strings so that she can have a lot of visitors.'_

'_That'll be down to me I guess,' said Chris. 'I'll pull the CEO card, and we'll all go and see her.'_

'_That's sorted then,' said Maddy. 'But please be sensitive about the whole pregnancy thing, it's still a little raw for her.'_

'_Of course,' said the others._

They all arrived at the hospital to see Erin, all 40 of them, that afternoon, armed with various presents such as chocolates, a teddy bear and a huge bunch of flowers.

As the entire mob of the swarmed across the hospital in a tight pack, most of the staff turned their nose up and/or frowned at them.

Seeing this, Chris said, 'As I'm sure you know, someone very close to all of our hearts has been admitted here. Our family would like to wish her well, together. Any issues with that?'

They all shook their heads fiercely.

'Good,' he replied. 'Let's go.'

As they continued their walk up the corridor, Katie said, 'Way to go dad, Mr Boss Man.'

'You so have to teach me how to do that,' remarked Michael.

'Meh,' replied Chris. 'When you're older.'

Erin was sitting in her room reading when they came in, the kids enthusiastically shouting, 'Auntie Erin!' and lavishing her with a massive group hug.

'Wow, that's a great hello,' replied Erin, blown away by their greeting. 'How are you all?'

'We're good,' replied the children in unison.

'How are you?' asked Matilda. 'Daddy said that you weren't very well...'

'Ahh Tilly,' she replied affectionately, ruffling her niece's hair. 'I wasn't. But I'm better now, not completely, but I'm nearly as good as new.'

'We all made you cards,' said Isla, handing the big pile of them to Erin. 'And we got you presents. Your favourite chocolates, flowers, a teddy bear...'

'You lot are amazing,' replied Erin. 'Only I could have a family as amazing as you!' As she looked through the cards, she said, 'Oh wow, you're all so talented, any of you thinking of being an artist?'

'No, we want to be doctors, like you,' they chorused.

'Nice to see that your parents are indoctrinating you well,' remarked Erin sarcastically, making the adults and older kids laugh, and the younger ones look confused.

'What does that mean?' asked Charlotte.

'Brainwashing,' said Scarlett, trying to explain.

'What's that?' asked Charlotte.

'Never mind,' said Erin.

'Why?' asked Charlotte.

'She's going through an ask a billion questions a day phase,' explained Juliet.

'Ahhh, I remember it too well,' replied Erin. 'When Tilly and Leo were little, it used to frustrate me that they'd never be satisfied with the answer I gave them.

'Still no memory of the last 5 months?' asked Cassie.

'Sadly, no,' replied Erin glumly. 'It would be nice to know who I tarnished my relationship with Jay for...I wish I could remember, but it's so difficult! I keep trying, but I can't even remember what I did for my last birthday!'

As the tears came to Erin's eyes, Cassie pulled her into a gentle hug and said, 'It's okay Eri, it's okay. We'll help you remember. We promise. Always remember, you're never alone in this. The 40 relatives crowded into this one small room prove that. You are loved and cherished by us all.'

'I know,' replied Erin, wiping the tears from her eyes. 'You know about the baby right?'

They all nodded their heads dismally.

'I know that Mum or Dad probably told you to be sensitive about it, but I just want to let you all know that I'm okay with it, I'm not happy about it, but I can deal with it. You don't need to tiptoe around me with baby news and joy, because then I'll just feel left out. I've decided that it's time for me to grow up. When I'm out of hospital, I'm going to scoff my face with mcdonalds and whatever various calorific junk food catches my eye, I'm giving up the booze and the cigs, and I'm going to live my life!' she stated proudly.

'We're proud of you,' said Fin.

'So proud,' said Serena.

'You never know, you might end up having another baby,' said Max quietly.

'Why Max?' asked Erin. 'You offering?'

'Nah,' he replied straight away.

And then something hit Erin, a random burst of memory, which made her gasp silently. As she was about to tell everyone, she heard:

'There's one coming now,' said Adelaide hurriedly, her tone perturbed.

In unison, they all turned around to see the little puddle beneath Adelaide's legs.

'Mum, there is no way in hell I am going to ever have a baby!' declared Isla. 'You never told me that it could make you wet yourself!'

'It doesn't,' replied Adelaide, breathing deeply. 'He's coming! Harry! It's too early!'

'I know sweetheart,' said Harry, running to her and supporting her weight. 'We're going to get you to maternity.'

'Right, Byrne's and Strachan's, off with them,' declared Connie. 'New grandchild incoming.'

'We'll take kid duty,' said Diane and Ric.

'We'll help,' said Maddy.

'I'm going with her!' said Isla.

'Fine,' replied Connie. 'Who's going to stay with Erin?'

'Can Max?' asked Erin. 'I feel as if it's been forever since we've talked properly.'

'Right,' said Jac. 'Mason, Callie, Fin, Cassie, Taylor and Serena, can you sort out getting Adi's stuff over here and present buying from us all? Or you can join up with Maddy, Linden, Diane and Ric on kid duty.'

'I'll take kid duty,' said Serena.

'Me too,' said Taylor.

'Right, so Mason, Callie, Fin and I are errand running. It all begins now,' said Cassie.

'Yup,' replied Fin, turning to Erin. 'Are you going to be okay with Max?'

'Yeah, fine,' urged Erin.

'Look after her,' said Fin to Max.

'I will,' he promised.

As everyone left the room to do their various tasks, Max sat down, and Erin said, 'So when were you going to tell me?'


	17. Alex, Revelations and Kai Ramsey Byrne

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

**Forgive me for not posting as often as I should, had my first really long exam for GCSE last Tuesday. Major pain in the butt, so am trying to focus on those. By the way, Italics further down is a flashback.**

'_Right, so Mason, Callie, Fin and I are errand running. It all begins now,' said Cassie. _

'_Yup,' replied Fin, turning to Erin. 'Are you going to be okay with Max?'_

'_Yeah, fine,' urged Erin. _

'_Look after her,' said Fin to Max._

'_I will,' he promised._

_As everyone left the room to do their various tasks, Max sat down, and Erin said, 'So when were you going to tell me?'_

'Tell you what Rin?' he asked nonchalantly.

'That it's you!' she shouted.

'Me what?' he asked.

'That you were the one I slept with 8 weeks ago, that you were Alex's father,' she stated.

'Alex?' he asked.

'I don't know whether it was a boy or a girl, so I chose Alex, nice unisex name. Anyway, why did you not tell me?' she asked confrontationally.

'I was going to Rin, believe me,' he said. 'But I didn't know if I should. I didn't want to ruin what you and Jay had.'

'We're not together anymore!' argued Erin. 'Didn't you think I deserved to know that you were my baby's father?'

'I didn't know for sure,' admitted Max. 'I thought the baby might have been Jay's...'

'He was in Ghana you moron!' she exclaimed. 'Admit it, you didn't want the family to know, and you didn't want the responsibility. I know you too well Max! But, I am pleading with you, please tell me how it happened. What happened that made me cheat on Jay? Please...I need to know.'

Exhaling deeply, he said, 'Okay, I'll tell you.'

Sitting by her bedside, he said, 'I came over to drop around that textbook I borrowed from you, and you opened the door with tears in your eyes...'

'_Rin?' he asked, using the abbreviated version of her name. 'What's wrong?'_

'_Jay's not coming back for 2 more months,' she said sobbingly, the held back tears being released. 'He promised that he'd be back.'_

'_Oh Rin,' he said, placing the book down on the table and sitting beside her._

'So wait?' asked Erin. 'You're telling me that I opened the door, saw you on the other side, and cried to you over Jay?'

'Yeah,' he replied.

'That's not like me at all,' she said. 'Must've been a bad let down.'

'Well, he did go away the day after your birthday party,' he said. 'He promised he'd be back in 3 months, you were really looking forward to his return. You were expecting him the next morning, you'd bought everything for his favourite meal, candles, the works. But then he rang you that afternoon, and said that he wasn't coming back for a while...'

'What happened next?' she asked.

'_I'll make you a cup of tea,' suggested Max._

'_How about a large vodka hold the coke?' she asked._

'_Like that will get you anywhere,' he replied._

_Bringing in a cup of tea a few minutes later, he handed it to her. She took a small sip and placed the cup on the table._

'_So,' he said. 'Tell me what happened.'_

_She shifted away from him uncomfortably and began to recount the story. Once she had finished, Max said, 'Why would he leave a beautiful girl like you behind? I can't understand that bloke at all Rin. You deserve so much better...'_

'_Who would have me?' she asked. 'Look at the state of me!'_

'_I would,' he replied, giving her lips a sweet and tender kiss._

'_Will you make love to me?' she asked, a vulnerable tone to her voice._

'_Yes,' he said raspily. 'You have no idea how much I've wanted to...'_

'Wait,' said Erin. 'Does that mean that you've always wanted me in that way?'

'Yeah,' he replied quietly. 'I realised how I felt at first when I saw you in your prom dress. You were a vision.'

'And you were 19,' she said, reminding him.

'You've had older,' he replied, poking his tongue out.

'Was that the start of a relationship?' asked Erin. 'Were we together?'

'No,' said Max, shaking his head. 'We woke up the next morning, you got a severe case of the guilts and called it quits. You started being really cold to me, avoiding me and stuff like that. I thought I'd done something wrong, but then I realised that you just wanted to be true to Jay...'

'Do you think we can recapture that passion and make a go of things?' she asked.

'I honestly don't know,' he admitted. 'I'd like us to date properly. Dinner, movies, the works, to try a relationship on for size, to see if it's not too weird for close friends to become lovers.'

'We should do that,' said Erin.

'When you get better though,' stated Max. 'Your health comes first.'

'Aren't you sweet,' she replied with a smile. 'Wow, it's a lot to digest!'

Running into the room, Isla said, 'It's a boy, but you already knew that! Anyway, it's a boy! His name is Kai Ramsey Byrne.'

'Why Ramsey?' asked Erin.

'For me!' she said. 'My name means Island, my middle name Nerissa means sea sprite, Kai's first name means sea and his middle name means Island too. We match and alternate at the same time!'

'Cool,' said Max.

'Yeah!' exclaimed Isla. 'Anyway, got to go, they sent me up to tell you that Kai was here, they're both fine and he weighed 11lbs.'

'Ouch!' replied Erin.

'He looks like a sumo wrestler,' said Isla with a giggle. 'Anyway, off now...'


	18. 3 Weeks Later

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

'_Do you think we can recapture that passion and make a go of things?' she asked._

'_I honestly don't know,' he admitted. 'I'd like us to date properly. Dinner, movies, the works, to try a relationship on for size, to see if it's not too weird for close friends to become lovers.'_

'_We should do that,' said Erin._

'_When you get better though,' stated Max. 'Your health comes first.'_

**3 weeks later...**

_At Adelaide and Harry's..._

'I cannot get over how beautiful he is!' remarked Adelaide, cooing at 3 week old Kai in her arms.

'Yeah,' replied Harry, planting a small kiss on his wife's forehead.

'I just wish he wouldn't cry as much,' said Isla. 'He's an angel by day, devil by night.'

'He's not as bad as you were,' replied Adelaide. 'Although I was 16 and studying, so on balance you might have seemed that extra bit loud.'

'Exactly,' stated Isla. 'I was just a darling angel baby!'

'Carry on believing sweetheart,' said Harry, rolling his eyes.

'What would you know Dad?' asked Isla. 'You didn't live with us then!'

'I used to stay over with your uncle Mason, and I'd hear you screaming for the next room,' said Harry. 'And did you just call me Dad?'

'I guess I did,' she replied. 'Is that okay with you?'

'Of course it is,' he exclaimed, hugging her close. 'Is it okay with you?'

'Totally,' she replied. 'My dad was a git, I know that. He's never made any effort to contact me, he's never shown an interest. You have. You've been there for me even before you and Mum got together. And for the time you got together, I was 9, so that's 5 years of my life you've been my father figure. Face it Byrne, you're stuck with me!'

'Well Strachan,' he replied. 'Fancy changing your name?'

'Isla Nerissa Strachan, Isla Nerissa Byrne?' she pondered. 'Well, if mum's changing her name, and Kai's a Byrne, I should be a Byrne too. Wouldn't want to be the only Strachan under this roof, I'd feel left out.'

'We'll make the arrangements,' said Adelaide. 'Look at us, a proper little family.'

_At the Hospital, Chris' Office..._

Chris paced around his office, cordless phone in his hand, trying to make arrangements for the staff shortage on AAU.

'Listen, we need some temporary staff!' he exclaimed. 'Adelaide Byrne is on maternity leave and Erin Cullen is on medical leave. Jayden Griffin was going to cover for Adelaide, but in light of what's happened with Erin, he's borrowed money from his parents and swanned off to Ghana! Look, we need 2 locums! At the very least we need one! What do you mean that there's nothing you can do for me? Fine, I'll make alternative arrangements...'

Hanging up the phone, he dialled a different number and held his breath.

'Hello,' said Erin.

'Hi Erin, it's Chris,' he said calmly. 'I need a favour.'

'You need me to come back to work?' she asked.

'How did you know?' he replied.

'Fin's been complaining about the understaffing, and with Jay doing a runner, me being out and Adi being on leave, the ward is desperate,' she said.

'So will you do it?' he asked. 'I hate to ask because I know that you need time to recover, but we really are desperate. I've just got off the phone with HR, there's nothing they can do.'

'No sweat,' she replied. 'There's only so much daytime TV, particularly Jeremy Kyle and Bargain Hunt that I can watch before going insane!'

Chuckling, Chris said, 'Grace is the very same when she's on leave. Thank you so much for doing this Erin.'

'It's alright Chris,' she said. 'Bright and early tomorrow?'

'Bright and early tomorrow,' he repeated. 'Thanks again Erin.'

'No problem Chris,' she replied. 'Bye.'

'Bye,' he said, putting the phone down and breathing a sigh of relief.

_Erin's..._

Later that night, Erin was getting ready for her date with Max. She had been preparing for it all day, planning a nice, intimate meal at hers, where they could be free with their talking, and not worry about who they ran into. She had spent the whole day cleaning the flat, changing the bed sheets, making dinner. She'd decorated the table with flowers and candles, she'd dimmed the lights, and now she was in the final sprint of the drawn our preparation process.

Getting in the bath, she soaked for what seemed like a lifetime, washing and conditioning her hair, making sure that she was 100% ready for this date, their 3rd date.

It marvelled Erin how they'd managed to keep things between them a secret. She was meant to be focusing on her recovery, and trying to get over Jay. And she was doing that, being with Max seemed to intensify the process. She didn't feel that dull ache of missing Jay, she missed Max whenever he wasn't there, and in Max she'd found an equal, a gentleman, someone who supported her through everything. He attended AA meetings with her everyday, he kept her away from the alcohol, he made her eat healthily and not skip meals. But mostly, he kept her sane. She'd always be eternally grateful to him for that.

After she got out of the bath, she dried herself and rubbed her various lotions and potions over her body. Moving to her bedroom, she changed into her outfit, a fitted jade green strapless dress that complimented her eyes with a gold clutch belt.

Going back into the bathroom, she applied a little product to her hair to try and control her curls, wanting them to be natural tonight. And then she applied some make up, trying not to overdo it.

Just as she was applying her lipgloss, the doorbell rang.

'Maxwell David Valentine,' she said mock sternly. 'What have I told you about arriving so early for our...'

As she opened the door, she glimpsed her brother Fin's face. 'Dates,' she said, finishing her sentence.

'You look beautiful Eri,' said Fin, noticing the outfit. 'And you've got candle lit. Bad time?'

'Sort of,' she replied.

'Anyone I know?' he asked.

'Well,' she replied, interrupted by Max's entrance in the doorway, dressed in a smart shirt and trousers.

'Ah,' replied Fin, looking at both of them. 'Care to tell me what's going on?'

'Both of you, come in,' said Erin, shutting the door. 'Well Fin, you're the first to know. Max and I are together...'


	19. Let Me Find My Happiness

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Just as she was applying her lipgloss, the doorbell rang._

_'Maxwell David Valentine,' she said mock sternly. 'What have I told you about arriving so early for our...'_

_As she opened the door, she glimpsed her brother Fin's face. 'Dates,' she said, finishing her sentence._

_'You look beautiful Eri,' said Fin, noticing the outfit. 'And you've got candles lit. Bad time?'_

_'Sort of,' she replied._

_'Anyone I know?' he asked._

_'Well,' she replied, interrupted by Max's entrance in the doorway, dressed in a smart shirt and trousers._

_'Ah,' replied Fin, looking at both of them. 'Care to tell me what's going on?'_

_'Both of you, come in,' said Erin, shutting the door. 'Well Fin, you're the first to know. Max and I are together...'_

'Together?' he asked. 'I thought you were temporarily forgetting about relationships and focusing on your recovery...' His voice had a brotherly sternness about it.

'It's not what you think,' said Max helplessly, tightening his grip on the bottle of wine in his hand.

'Really?' asked Fin haphazardly.

'Yes,' declared Erin boldly, her features softening as she thought of a gentle way to break the news to Fin. 'Fin, look, this isn't some ill-advised fling, Max and I could be the real deal! He was Alex's father Fin, I owe it to he or she's memory to get to know their father more. And I've found an equal there Fin. He treats me far better than Jay ever did! He goes to AA meetings with me everyday, he hugs me when I have to talk about my past and it upsets me. He makes me feel better. He pulls me out of the gutter and away from the nearest vodka bottle when I'm down. He keeps me eating when that's the last thing I wanted to do, he holds back my hair when I'm puking my guts up down the nearest toilet and he wipes my tears away! You cannot tell me that Jay would ever have been there like that for me...'

'No,' said Fin quietly, bowing his head in shame for being so harsh.

'No, exactly,' said Erin more confidently, beginning to enjoy her rediscovered assertion. 'Jay would have made his excuses for not coming to the AA meetings, he'd joke about my past and upset me even more. He'd hurt my feelings when I was down so I'd want to drink even more than I did at first. He'd shun all responsibility of making sure I eat because 'it's my life' and he can't even cook toast. He'd gag and be sick himself if I was sick and he'd keep me at arm's length until I went back to 'normal'. He wouldn't wipe my tears away, he'd be causing them, and you know it Fin. It hurts me that you'd challenge something you know nothing about, especially when it is as real as this. You have Cassie, and she's the perfect woman for you; you have Tilly and Leo, you're going to have another baby soon. You have your happiness, so can you take a step back while I look for mine?'

The tears pricked Fin's eyes as he realised that Erin was growing up at a faster rate than ever before, and was beginning to feel comfortable in her own skin. The new Erin was no longer a caterpillar, she was in the cocoon stage; getting ready to blossom into a beautiful butterfly, to fly away and find her happiness...without him to pick up the pieces.

'Eri,' he said, hugging her close. 'I always said I'd look after you, even if you couldn't look after yourself. And I always said that I'd be there for you when you need me. It's obvious that you're doing okay now, with Max to help you. So I'll step back, because that's what you want. Know that I'm so proud of you for coming this far, and I'm really happy for you and Max. The two of you are certainly a better match than you and Jay were.'

'To say the least,' replied Erin. 'It means a lot to me that you approve of Max, you know?'

'I know,' said Fin.

'I just want to say Fin,' said Max sincerely. 'I won't mess Erin around like Jay did, I promise. She's a very special woman, and she deserves everything beautiful and precious in the world. I'm going to do everything in my power to give her that, and to be there for her as she recovers.'

'Thank you Max,' said Fin, shaking his hand. 'It really means a lot to me. Look after her for me, yeah?'

'Of course,' replied Max.

'I should go now,' said Fin. 'I just came to check up on Eri, and she's clearly fine. Enjoy your date, what's left of it...'

'Thanks Fin,' said Max.

'I guess I'll be going,' said Fin as he left. 'Bye.'

'Bye,' chorused Erin and Max as the door shut behind Fin.

'We definitely cannot do what I had planned tonight, that emotional heaviness has ruined it...' said Erin.

'You don't need sex to be happy and satisfied in a relationship,' said Max. 'Although it is a good bonus. How about we just eat dinner and cuddle up on the sofa to watch a film?'

'Can it be a scary one?' asked Erin eagerly.

'Why?' asked Max. 'You hate scary films.'

'But I can snuggle into you when I'm scared,' she replied with an air of vulnerability to her.

'Darling, you can do that anytime,' he replied. 'Not just when the film's scary.'


	20. Radiance and Truth To One

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_The tears pricked Fin's eyes as he realised that Erin was growing up at a faster rate than ever before, and was beginning to feel comfortable in her own skin. The new Erin was no longer a caterpillar, she was in the cocoon stage; getting ready to blossom into a beautiful butterfly, to fly away and find her happiness...without him to pick up the pieces._

'_Eri,' he said, hugging her close. 'I always said I'd look after you, even if you couldn't look after yourself. And I always said that I'd be there for you when you need me. It's obvious that you're doing okay now, with Max to help you. So I'll step back, because that's what you want. Know that I'm so proud of you for coming this far, and I'm really happy for you and Max. The two of you are certainly a better match than you and Jay were.'_

A week later, Erin had returned to work full time and was setting about repairing her life. Max had practically moved into her flat to take care of her and keep an eye on her whilst the rest of their extended family apart from Fin remained unaware. Max had told them that because Erin had always been such a good friend to him and had always been there for him, he owed her. Him staying with her would be a temporary measure to make sure that she stayed away from the alcohol.

Now that Erin had resumed her normal work duties, everyone was watching out for her to make sure that she was okay. She didn't know it, but everyone's eyes were on her.

She had a spring in her step today. Max had set up a romantic date for the two of them last night, and for the first time in their new relationship they had ended up in the bedroom. All of the time that Max had been staying with her, he'd always been chivalrous and slept in the spare bedroom, but last night she insisted that he stayed with her, that he'd been a gentleman long enough. And waking up in his arms this morning, she felt safe and at peace; nothing could stop the happy radiance that had shone in her aura from the minute she woke up.

Everyone had picked up on her joyous mood today as she trotted around AAU doing ward rounds, being particularly chatty and friendly with patients and having a smile for everyone. And Juliet was no exception.

Entering the office that her and Fin shared, she shut the door and said, 'What's up with Erin?'

Staring into his paperwork, Fin replied, 'She isn't in a mood is she?'

'Yeah,' replied Juliet. 'But not in that way...She seems, happy. Really happy, like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. Know anything as to why?'

'Nope,' said Fin, keeping his eyes focused on his paperwork so Juliet wouldn't be able to tell that he was lying. He knew that Erin was happy because of Max, but no one apart from him knew that yet.

'Really? You know nothing at all about it?' asked Juliet. 'I thought you two were close.'

'We are,' said Fin. 'She just doesn't tell me everything.'

Noticing a sensitive spot, Juliet backed off slightly and said, 'Okay, it's fine.'

As she left the office, Fin sighed and rested his head on his desk. Keeping this secret would one day kill him.

Walking down to the Nurse's station on AAU, Juliet found Erin filling in a patient's chart and singing quietly to herself.

_**I've had the time of my life,**_

_**And I've never felt this way before,**_

_**Yes I swear, it's the truth,**_

_**And I owe it all to you...**_

'You look happy Erin,' commented Juliet in an attempt to be nonchalant.

'Yeah, I am,' said Erin brightly, putting the chart back on the pile.

'Any particular reason?' asked Juliet.

'Not really,' said Erin. 'Apart from my recovery going well, the withdrawal symptoms gone, the urge to drink gone and the pain of the loss almost gone. It feels like I can go back to being myself again, well, new and improved.'

'That's great!' exclaimed Juliet.

'Yeah,' replied Erin.

Erin's pager began to go off, chorusing it's continuous sound. Checking it, she said, 'Am needed on Keller for a little while, be back soon.'

'Okay,' replied Juliet. 'Have fun.'

'I'll try,' replied Erin sarcastically as she left.

Juliet gave a small smile and leaned over to the phone. Picking it up, she dialled an extension number and waited for it to ring.

'Cass, it's Juliet,' she said quickly. 'Erin's on her way up to you, and she's in a really good mood. Think it might be a guy thing. No, not Jay, someone else. Find out what you can? Thanks. Okay, see you.'

In Cassie's office, she twirled around in her chair with her hand on her barely there bump whilst waiting for Erin.

Whipping her head around the door, Erin said, 'You needed me?'

'Yeah,' replied Cassie, standing up. 'The patient you sent up, Paul Moore, did you run bloods for him?'

'Yup,' replied Erin. 'All the usual suspects, should be in the lab.'

'Okay, I'll send Max down to get them,' she replied.

Erin's face lit up at the mention of Max's name.

'Something you want to tell me?' asked Cassie enquiringly, a smile on her face too.

'It starts with I'm seeing Max,' said Erin. 'But it's a hell of a lot more complicated than that.'

'How?' asked Cassie.

'I'm surprised that Fin never told you,' said Erin. 'Although I did make him promise he wouldn't tell anyone. Max was Alex's father...he was the one I cheated on Jay with.'

'When did you remember that?' asked Cassie. 'I thought you'd forgotten...'

'When everyone was visiting me, and we were talking about Alex, Max said that I could always have another baby, I asked him if he was offering, all jokily, and then I had a flash of memory. It wasn't much of a memory, just me and him, inflagrante delicto, if you catch my drift. So when Adi went into labour, everyone went their separate ways and I asked Max to stay. We talked, and he told me everything that happened. Then we decided to make a go of things between us. Fin only knew because he came to see me and Max showed up for our date,' explained Erin.

'It's alright Eri,' said Cassie reassuringly. 'I don't blame Fin. I understand the bond that the two of you have, and the whole sibling secret protection, the secrets that I made Taylor keep, you would not believe! And I'm happy for you, I really am...'

'Can you not tell anyone?' asked Erin. 'I'm going to wait until the next big family gathering and then tell everyone?'

Hugging her, Cassie said, 'No problem.'


	21. Alex's Bench

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

'_Something you want to tell me?' asked Cassie enquiringly, a smile on her face too._

'_It starts with I'm seeing Max,' said Erin. 'But it's a hell of a lot more complicated than that.'_

'_How?' asked Cassie._

'_I'm surprised that Fin never told you,' said Erin. 'Although I did make him promise he wouldn't tell anyone. Max was Alex's father...he was the one I cheated on Jay with.'_

'_When did you remember that?' asked Cassie. 'I thought you'd forgotten...'_

'_When everyone was visiting me, and we were talking about Alex, Max said that I could always have another baby, I asked him if he was offering, all jokily, and then I had a flash of memory. It wasn't much of a memory, just me and him, inflagrante delicto, if you catch my drift. So when Adi went into labour, everyone went their separate ways and I asked Max to stay. We talked, and he told me everything that happened. Then we decided to make a go of things between us. Fin only knew because he came to see me and Max showed up for our date,' explained Erin._

'_It's alright Eri,' said Cassie reassuringly. 'I don't blame Fin. I understand the bond that the two of you have, and the whole sibling secret protection, the secrets that I made Taylor keep, you would not believe! And I'm happy for you, I really am...'_

'_Can you not tell anyone?' asked Erin. 'I'm going to wait until the next big family gathering and then tell everyone?'_

_Hugging her, Cassie said, 'No problem.'_

'So we're definitely going to tell them tonight?' asked Max, rubbing a stressed Erin's shoulders.

'Yeah,' replied Erin, leaning back into his touch. 'Mmmm that feels so good.'

'Any idea how we're going to break it to them?' asked Max.

'Nope,' said Erin. 'But Cassie knows, that's one step of the way. I'm thinking we blurt it then explain.'

'We might as well,' replied Max.

'How do you think they'll react?' asked Erin.

'About us or Alex?' asked Max.

'Both,' she replied quietly.

'I think they'll be shocked, but they'll be happy for us,' said Max reassuringly. 'Maybe we will all get the chance to grieve properly once it's all out in the open.'

The tears pricking her eyes, Erin said, 'I'd be having my 12 week scan about now if I was still pregnant.'

'Oh sweetheart,' he said, taking her into his arms and holding her close.

'I wasn't ready for her,' she said sobbingly. 'But I would've loved him or her with everything that I was. And you would've too. We would've made great parents.'

'Yeah, we would,' said Max, kissing her forehead. 'But Alex will always be in our hearts, even though we never had the chance to be his or her parents. We'll never forget them.'

'I never want to forget,' said Erin. 'Because remembering keeps me sober. It's my fault that we lost Alex Max, my drinking did it.'

'Don't dwell on the past Eri,' he said softly. 'Focus on the future. You and me, we're the future.'

'Yeah,' she replied, snuggling into his embrace.

'Want to go for a walk?' he asked.

'To Alex's bench?' she asked.

'Yeah,' he replied. 'It should be fully erected now.'

Erin tried to stifle a giggle.

'There's the old Erin Cullen,' he said cheerfully.

'You did that on purpose,' she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

'Of course I did,' he replied with a wink. 'Come on.'

Taking her hand, he led her out of the door and down the pathway to the park, where Alex's bench was.

'It looks bare,' commented Erin, sitting down on the bench and looking around.

'It's only just been put here,' commented Max. 'We'll bring things up here to brighten it up a bit. The plaque looks nice though, very shiny.'

Looking behind her, Erin said with a sigh, 'Yeah. The words don't do her justice.'

'No words can,' said Max, sitting down beside Erin.

'Alex Valentine, forever in our hearts,' read Erin.

'She is,' stated Max, pulling Erin closer to him.

'Yeah,' she replied, cuddling into him.

Quietly at first, Erin began to hum, her humming turning into words as she softly sung.

_**I'm wishin' on a star  
To follow where you are  
I'm wishin' on a dream  
To follow what it means**_

I'm wishin' on a star  
To follow where you are  
I'm wishin' on a dream  
To follow what it means

And I wish on all the rainbows  
That I see  
I wish on all the people  
Who really dream

And I'm wishin' on tommorow  
Praying it'll come  
And I'm wishin' on all the lovin'  
We've ever done

I never thought I'd see  
A time when you would be  
So far away from home  
So far away from me

Just think of all the moments  
That we spent  
I just can't let you go,  
For me, you were meant

And I didn't mean to hurt you,  
But I know  
That in the game of lovin',  
You reap what you sow

I feel it's time we should make up, baby  
I feel it's time for us to get back together  
Make the best of things, oh baby,  
When we're together,  
Whether or never.

I feel it's time we should make up, baby,  
I feel it's time for us to get back together  
Make the best of things, oh baby,  
When we're together,  
Whether or never  
Oh woh woh, ooooooo, ooooo

I'm wishin' on a star  
To follow where you are  
I'm wishin' on a dream  
To follow what it means

And I wish on all the rainbows  
That I see  
I wish on all the people  
We ever greeted

And I'm hopin' on all the days to come  
And days to go  
And I'm hopin' on days of  
Lovin' you so

I'm wishing on a star  
To follow where you are [follow where you are]  
I'm wishing on a star, oh oh,  
And I wish on all the rainbows that I see

Oooo, oh oh oh oh oh oh,  
[Wishin' on a, wishin' on a, wishin' on a]  
Wishin' on a star

Ooo. to follow where you are  
[Wishin' on a, wishin' on a, wishin' on a]  
Wishin' on a star

I'm wishin'

Ooooo, ooooooooo  
[Wishin' on a, wishin' on a, wishin' on a, wishin' on a star]  
[Wishin' on a, wishin' on a, wishin' on a]  
Wishin' on a star  


'You have the voice of an angel,' said Max softly.

'Thank you,' said Erin. 'We should be going soon, have to get ready for the party.'

'Yeah,' replied Max quietly.


	22. Getting Ready

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_'You have the voice of an angel,' said Max softly._

_'Thank you,' said Erin. 'We should be going soon, have to get ready for the party.'_

_'Yeah,' replied Max quietly._

Once they had got back to the flat that they shared, Max ran Erin a hot relaxing bath to calm her down a little. He knew that she was going through a lot, and although he was going through it with her, he knew how deeply it was affecting her and how her hormones had still not settled down properly after her miscarriage. He understood that she was feeling sensitive, and justly so.

Max knew in his heart of hearts that, although their relationship with Erin was still in it's early stages, he loved her. They'd been through too much together for him not to. It was a primal instinct, something which was in his very soul. He'd always been attracted to her, and now she meant more to him than anything and anyone.

'I can hear you thinking,' said Erin from the bathroom. 'Care to share?'

'I'm thinking about how everything's going to be different from tonight,' said Max. 'It's going to be a lot for everyone to digest. Especially Jay.'

'He's not coming,' said Erin. 'I asked Diane, and she said that if he dares shows his face, he will regret it.'

'Nice to know she's on your side,' said Max.

'There shouldn't be sides,' admitted Erin. 'What we did was wrong, what Jay said was wrong. I hope there'll come a time when we can all be friends again.'

'It might take a while,' said Max.

'I know, but it's good to hope,' replied Erin. 'I'm getting out now, the bath's getting cold.'

'Okay,' said Max, reentering the bathroom holding a towel. He wrapped it around her and planted a small kiss on her nose, making her giggle. 'I love you, Erin Rosetta Cullen, you know that?'

'I had an inkling Maxwell David Valentine,' she said, poking her tongue out at him.

'That's so cute,' said Max with a grin, kissing her once more.

'Mmmm,' replied Erin. 'I love you too, and as much as I'd love to sit around in a towel and carry on with this, we're going to be late if you don't get a move on and shower.'

'I better hurry,' said Max. 'Aunt Jac is not exactly known for her patience...'

'True,' said Erin, giving him one final kiss and leaving the bathroom, heading for the bedroom.

Opening up her wardrobe, she began to scout for the perfect outfit for the night. After considerable thought, she picked out a simple but pretty turquoise dress that set off her eyes to perfection.

As she undressed herself, she could not help but divert her eyes to her flat abdomen. Placing a hand there, she winced in emotional pain. That flat stomach had a baby in there once before. Her and Max's child. Alex. Boy or girl, it didn't matter. It was part of her and Max, and the night they shared.

She wondered what it would be like if she was still pregnant. She might have been showing a bit; not a lot, but enough for her to notice, enough of a bump for her to carress, for Max to talk to. The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached and the more the tears fell.

'Oh Erin,' said Max from the doorway, realising what she was crying about.

'I'm sorry,' said Erin, hugging him close and inhaling the scent of his shower gel.

'Don't be,' he said, holding her a little tighter.

'I feel so much better when I'm in your arms,' said Erin. 'So much better. It's like I almost forget, or I'm more at peace with life and the situation.'

'I'm glad,' said Max, kissing her hair softly. 'Do you want to try for another baby?'

'What?'she asked, wiping her tears away.

'When we're ready, do you want to try straight away for a baby?' he asked.

'Do you?' she asked.

'More than anything,' said Max. 'I would have never dreamt of being a dad and having a family, but after Alex, I really want to. I know that you're still emotionally fragile and we've got a lot to overcome, but when that's over or easier, do you want to?'

'I think I do,' replied Erin. 'Yeah, let's do it. When everything's okay of course.'

'Yeah,' said Max. 'We need to get past our parents, uncles and aunts first.'

'That's the easy part,' said Erin. 'You know that Daddy will push for marriage before children.'

'Yeah,' said Max. 'I thought he would, but there's always a solution to that too...'

'Which is?' asked Erin.

'That when the time comes, we get married,' he said with a smile.

'Really?' she asked.

'I've never been so sure,' said Max. 'Erin, I love you so much, all I want to do is make you happy. I want to be your husband and the father of your children. I want us to have everything. The house with the white picket fence, the cute smiling children that are miniatures of us, the hyper dog that chases the cat. Everything.'

Wiping another tear from her eye, Erin said, 'I want all of those things too.'

Noticing the time, Max said, 'Right, we have half an hour before we have to leave, think you can get dressed?'

'I think I can manage that,' she said with a smile.


	23. The Revelation

Extreme Takeover, Holby Edition

**Their parents ran the hospital during their life, and now that they're older, it's their turn.**

Pairings are Jac/Joseph, Maddy/Linden, Connie/Sam, Diane/Ric and Chrissie/Olly.

_Noticing the time, Max said, 'Right, we have half an hour before we have to leave, think you can get dressed?'_

_'I think I can manage that,' she said with a smile._

'Are you sure you're okay?' asked Max, wrapping his arm around Erin's waist and holding her close, kissing the side of her face. He could tell that she was really nervous about what may happen tonight.

'Max,' she said, squirming out of his embrace, although yearning to be closer to him. But now wasn't the time or place for that. 'We're right outside, our family doesn't know yet.'

'I know, you just look scared. Wanted to reassure you,' he replied. 'How are we going to do this again?'

'Ummm, we walk in hand in hand, if anyone notices we do it that way. Or we catch the attention of everyone and get them to be quiet, one of us blurts it and between us we explain it,' said Erin, running through the possibilities in her mind.

'Sounds good,' said Max, taking a deep breath. 'You ready?'

'No,' she replied.

'Ready or not, here we go,' he said, taking her hand and leading her through the drive way and front garden into the house of Jac and Joseph Byrne. It was spectacular to say the least, it still made Erin gasp in awe at its beauty, as she'd done so many times before, since they bought the house when she was 8. She used to think that it was a castle, and she could be a princess there. Princess Erin. A fitting setting for her and Max's big secret to be announced to their family.

Once they'd entered the house, they began to circulate around the room, hand in hand. No one seemed to notice that they were holding hands as a couple would.

'Everyone,' said Max, pulling Erin by the hand into the centre of the room so that the focus was on them and they could be seen by everyone. 'Can we have your attention for a minute?'

'Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?' asked 8 year old Cameron. 'You're holding hands like Mummy and Daddy do…'

'That's what we want to talk to you about,' said Erin as the room quietened down. 'Everyone, Max and I are together. We love each other, and when the time's right, in the not so distant future, we want to get married and have a family. We were so close to having that dream…'

'As you know,' said Max, sensing that Erin would not be able to explain without tears. 'Erin had a miscarriage 4 weeks ago, losing a baby that she named Alex. Everyone figured out that it wasn't possible for Jay to be Alex's father because the dates did not add up; he'd been away in Ghana when Alex was conceived. Erin couldn't remember who Alex's father was because of her amnesia, but she realised as Adi went into labour that the man she cheated on Jay with, was me. We had a chance to talk, about how we ended up in bed together that night, and we decided that we wanted to explore the idea of having a relationship, and taking things slowly. I moved in to help Erin recover, and we quickly realised how much we loved each other and how much we wanted to be together.'

'We had a bench put up in Alex's memory,' said Erin. 'It's in the park close to the flat near the river. I know it's a lot for you lot to take in, but we're together, and we're happy. Things with Jay affected me badly, and I'm not saying that he's solely to blame, we all had a hand in this, but I hope that we can all move on and be friends again.'

The room applauded as Erin finished speaking.

'Congratulations,' said everyone.

'May I propose a toast?' said Olly, raising his glass. 'To Max and Erin, may they lead a happy life together.'

'With lots of children,' added Chrissie, raising her own glass.

'Mum!' protested Max in embarrassment.

'I never thought I would see the day that my son settled down,' said Chrissie with a beam. 'I'm so happy.'

'To Max and Erin,' said everyone, raising their glasses.

Snuggling into Max's side, Erin whispered, 'That went a hell of a lot better than I thought it would.'

'Even Diane and Ric seem happy,' he added, kissing her cheek. 'And Mum's thrilled. She'll be nagging at us for grandchildren within weeks.'

'Mum and Dad look really happy,' commented Erin, looking at the bright smiles on her parents faces. 'They never approved of Jay really, I think you're a much better match for me.'

'The only one who doesn't look happy is Mason,' added Max, looking over at his best friend. 'We were like brothers of bachelorism, promising never to settle down.'

'We all have to grow up eventually,' said Erin, rubbing his arm to reassure him.


End file.
